


Convenient Conventions

by bumblebear30



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And teasing, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, First Date, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, Healthy Relationship Development, Smut, an attempt at smut that got wildly out of control, calex - Freeform, now there is a semblance of plot, there is lots of talking, which is fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:20:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28938393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bumblebear30/pseuds/bumblebear30
Summary: What if when Casey disappeared from New York she eventually found herself working in Florida, where it just so happens our favourite blonde crusader for justice miraculously turns up one day and they have a chance to catch up... and maybe more.For context Alex has left prosecuting after her tenure with the international criminal court but hasn't gone down the vigilante / Sunk Coast Fallacy route.
Relationships: Alexandra Cabot/Casey Novak
Comments: 47
Kudos: 36





	1. Convenient Conventions

**Author's Note:**

> This has been being worked on in the background for some time now, and I've been reassured enough by my tireless beta that the first chapter is good to go. It has somehow morphed into my first real comprehensive story so apologies if updates take a little while but I've got a little buffer of some that are already completed. Hope you all enjoy, feedback more than welcome!

It was a truth universally acknowledged that Casey Novak always seemed to have to rush everywhere. No matter how well prepared she felt, or how much forward planning she put into her diary, allowing for gridlocked traffic and coffee breaks, something inevitably seemed to crop up that made her feel like she was just on the edge of losing control of her day. It was why when she’d been offered the part contract – almost like a consultancy role they’d tried to convince her – for the Florida States’ Attorney’s office she’d taken them up on the chance, thinking she’d actually manage some semblance of a reasonable work-life balance for the first time in her adult life. Instead, she found herself still pulling hours that a full-time employee in any other industry would wince at, as well as juggling the other role with a ‘mental health in the justice system’ advocacy group that she had taken on, thinking she would finally have the time to try make a difference to the system she worked in. 

Typically, she was too stubborn to give it up once she had committed to seeing something through and somehow – if she decidedly ignored the deserted wasteland that had become her dating life – she managed to make it work. 

She was actually surprised that the curveball for her day today had been because of the work with the advocacy group and not the state’s office. Casey stifled her own cynical laugh – she should know better about never being surprised anymore – and was simply grateful that over the years she’d become much more adept at just rolling with the punches. Casey finally got through the convention centre’s large entrance way and steeled herself before shouldering her way through the outgoing crowd till she was able to get to the registration desk and look for someone official. 

“Please tell me your name is Casey?”

At the sound of her name Casey spun on the spot, hitching her bag-strap further up her shoulder as she spotted a harried looking woman sporting three different lanyards with a phone clutched tightly in her hand,

“Yes, Casey Novak. Hi, sorry I got held up in court.” the woman let out a deep relieved breath as she accepted Casey’s handshake,

“Hi, I’m Tanya, if you could just follow me?” she turned and motioned for Casey to follow her, walking at a fast-enough clip that the redhead had to stretch her long legs to keep up and hear what she was saying,

“Well thank god you’re here now. The panel is about to start and the third panellist Dr Parkson was also called away, so-,” 

“-so when Penelope called saying she couldn’t make it…” Tanya looked over her shoulder and caught Casey’s sympathetic smile,

“I won’t lie, it was a little bit panic-stations. Can’t have a discussion panel with just one speaker,” Casey had completely lost track of the various twists and turns Tanya had led them through in the warren of corridors that made up the Convention Centre but continued to keep up, “but then Penelope said you could step in?”

Casey laughed, of course her friend Penelope had just volunteered her, 

“Well I’ve won cases with less preparation time so we’ll see how it goes.”

Tanya stopped in front of some auditorium stage doors and motioned for Casey to pass her her bag,

“I’m sure you’ll do fine Miss Novak, best give me your blazer too, it’ll get warm in there with the lights.” Casey appreciated the heads up, and started to shrug out of her jacket as Tanya checked her watch and continued to brief her, “your panel coordinator is Michelle, she’s great, and the other panellist is an Alexandra Cabot –”

Casey completely froze, her wrists still stuck in the arms of her blazer as a buzzing noise filled her ears meaning she didn’t hear whatever else Tanya had continued to say,

“I’m sorry – did, did you say Alexandra Cabot?” 

It couldn’t be? Could it? The coincidence would simply be too great, but then again, it was a national conference on violence against women so if Alex was to finally appear in Florida like all the other Manhattan ADAs had in turn, then the chances it would be here, now, did increase rapidly. Tanya practically pulled Casey’s blazer from her and turned the redhead to the door and wrenched it open, pushing her through none-too-gently,

“Yes, she seemed lovely, you’ll be fine. There’ll be a microphone on the chair for you.”

And just like that Casey found herself at the bottom of some stage steps, already being beckoned up by a cheery looking young woman holding some flashcards and looking ever so relieved at her arrival. As bright and engaging the bubbly other woman was Casey’s gaze had already slid past her to lock on the halo of blonde hair that she could just make out in the middle of the stage. Almost in a daze Casey found herself walking to the low red sofa chairs that were set up for the panel, staring hard at the familiar outline of the woman sat in the seat to the left. Even after several years and with her back turned, Casey would have recognised that defined neckline and confident air anywhere.

Shit.

It really was Alex.

“Miss Novak, if you just take your seat we’ll fudge through the introductions and just get the discussion going, I believe you’re going to be talking about the importance of mental health reform?”

Casey didn’t even turn to look at the co-ordinator – Michelle her brain reminded her, she was always able to pick up and hold on to details even when she wasn’t fully paying attention. Alex’s head, which had started to turn at the sound of her approach, had whipped around hawklike when she’d heard Casey’s name mentioned and now those oh so familiar blue eyes stared dumbfounded at the redhead who stood not two feet from her,

“Yeah that’s right,” Casey finally spun on the spot to acknowledge Michelle who bobbed excitedly and hustled back to her own chair, ensuring there was a glass of water available for Casey on the awkwardly low coffee table between them on her way. Taking a deep breath Casey turned to face a still gawping Alex,

“Casey?” Alex felt like she was seeing a ghost. Her mind struggling to connect what she was seeing with, well, what she was seeing. She was sure it was Novak, the other woman looked as if she was dressed for court, even without a blazer on, but for whatever reason that made Alex struggle all the more to put such a familiar image that was somehow still different – the hair was longer, maybe lighter too?, the clothes looked better quality and fit her better, that face which was obviously a little bit older, much like her own – into this current situation. It just jarred and her usually lightning quick mind kept tripping over itself,

“Surprise?” Casey managed a sheepish smile, her eyebrows rising like her shoulders as she shrugged lightly.

“I- what, how are-,” The bright stage lights cut off whatever it was Alex had been trying to articulate. The sudden change took both women unawares and they found themselves squinting at the other as they tried to adjust,

“Hello everyone! I’d like to welcome you all back to the national convention on violence against women, this session is focussing on the role of the justice system...” 

Casey decided she needed to focus on what the co-ordinator was saying for now. She’d only had a couple of hours’ notice – with an arraignment to get through before heading over – and was hoping the review she’d gone through of her colleague Penelope’s notes would be enough to stop her from embarrassing herself and their advocacy group on such a large platform. It would have been nerve-wracking as it was, but to have Alex suddenly there, sat next to her, looking so damn Alex-y in her tight dark designer dress, the beige belt simply accentuating how much her blonde hair fucking glowed and her characteristic square framed glasses that flashed distractingly in the strong lights whenever her head moved? Well the nerves Casey had been feeling had ramped up exponentially. She consciously curled and uncurled her fists where they were placed in her lap, resisting the urge to drain the tall glass of water in front of her and ask for something stronger.

She realised that she had been doing the exact opposite of paying attention to Michelle whilst she’d been internally panicking over the presence of the ever-distracting woman to her left. With a deep breath she tried to centre herself and listen in to what the overly-exuberant host was saying,

“So, as you can see we’ve had some last minute adjustments to our guest speakers, but I am delighted to be able to introduce you to Miss Alexandra Cabot –,” Casey was just, just, able to supress her eye-roll as Alex smiled modestly through her admittedly impressive list of accolades. Casey could see why Alex had been chosen for this panel – her tenures with the DA’s office and international criminal court task force would have been justification enough but hearing how the blonde now headed up an organisation that fought for victim’s rights and justice system reform? It seemed to be a perfect fit. 

“Our other panel member is Miss Casey Novak, who gallantly agreed to step in last minute for her colleague,” Casey felt herself adopt her ‘under public scrutiny’ persona, smiling to the faceless audience, “so I will let Miss Novak introduce herself to you all.”

Determined not to let her underlying simmering nervousness show Casey squared her shoulders and addressed the audience,

“Thank you Michelle, it’s great to be here. For a little context for you all I have spent over 10 years as a district or state prosecutor and am currently working with the State Attorney’s office here in Florida.” From the corner of her eye she can see Alex watching her closely, unable to hide her surprise at Casey’s current employer. The redhead shifted forward in her chair and smiled openly at the audience, “But I’m actually here today because of my other role and so I must emphasise that the views and opinions I give here today are my own and not representative of the State Attorney’s position on any topics.”

She gave them all a wry apologetic look, “I’m a lawyer, so I’m sorry but disclaimers are important to me,” at the few good-natured chuckles that followed Casey felt herself relax a little, even seeing the corner of Alex’s lip tug upwards at her joke helping until she had to remind herself she couldn’t just stare at Alex’s lips right now. She could tell that Alex had been a little surprised that she hadn’t addressed or acknowledged that they knew or worked together before, but she simply hadn’t known how to open that whole can of worms…

“But what is also important to me – some could even say more important to me – is addressing how this country and its justice system understands, accepts and deals with the mental health crisis that is crippling our society.” It was so easy for her to fall into her usual passionate delivery, emphasising her words with her hands and purposeful movements of her head that she would normally use to draw a jury’s attention to certain important information. All she was missing was getting to stand and walk about whilst she delivered her opening arguments,

“With my friend Penelope who was originally scheduled to talk to you today, we set up an advocacy group that targets improving education and awareness of mental health problems with individuals working at all levels of the justice system, whilst at the same time seeking legislative reform in how people who may have mental health issues are treated within that same system.” 

“Our underlying belief is that if we collectively invest in mental health care and substance abuse care, we can divest from our over reliance on punishment and incarceration which disproportionally impacts those who most need the system’s support.”

She took a deep breath and motioned to the room in front of her, “I’m sure that everyone here knows just how shocking the current statistics are but it has been unmistakeably shown for a number of years now that individuals with mental health problems are more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators. I’m sure we also will all acknowledge that women tend to be the most affected by the repercussions of criminalising individuals rather than addressing the systemic issued caused by poor understanding or support. We believe that women are also the key to achieving the change that is so necessary.”

Casey was relieved to have gotten through the introductory section without stumbling or doing the work Penelope did a disservice. Taking a fortifying breath she focused on what Michelle was now saying, hoping that despite Alex’s unexpected presence she could continue to get through the session without embarrassing herself.

***  
It had been going fairly well – or at least so Casey had thought – as they had discussed various sides and angles to the various points that Michelle had had written on her flashcards. Casey had found herself instinctively bouncing ideas and topics back with Alex, able to delve into their own experiences when necessary to expand or points. And somehow they’d managed to avoid letting on they knew each other quite easily… that was until Alex had gotten a question about how the justice system’s appellant process could be used to drive change and had given an answer that immediately drew the redhead’s characteristic ire,

“What do you mean the appellant process is unjust on victims, it’s there precisely to ensure fairness!” With hindsight Casey wished she hadn’t sounded quite so combative, but she just couldn’t figure out why Alex seemed to be trashing the system she’d spent so many years upholding.

Alex whipped her head round to face Casey as soon as she’d interrupted her, 

“What I mean, is that the process only works when prosecutors are brave enough to actually pursue the necessary cases through the courts, and they simply are not doing so! Casey you know more than most that the law is ten years behind on the reality of technology – from Facebook, Instagram, twitter and other social media platforms – how often have we seen them used to specifically target women, led to violence against women, but not been able to do anything about it because the legislation tied our hands! You know it isn’t working!

“Yes, the law hasn’t been able to keep up with technological developments as well as it should have but nothing has! Rushing ahead with the wrong legislation could be just as damaging, if not more so!”

“You’re wrong!” Alex rebuke felt like a slap across Casey’s face, “Change has to happen now!”

Casey scoffed angrily, the sound only stirring up Alex’s frustration even more, “'Who are you Alex? You literally used to be the trail blazer of how to make the system work – or was that all just talk to climb the ladder at Hogan Place?”

It was a cheap shot and Casey knew it as soon the words left her mouth, a look of guilt instantly flashed across her face but Alex's defensiveness had immediately reared. Squaring her shoulders and with an arrogant tilt to her jaw she lashed out angrily before she could help it, 

“Oh, because you always worked solely within the system, right Casey??” 

Casey was absolutely dumbstruck that Alex would even allude to her censure, particularly in such a public setting. She knew she had provoked her, but seriously? This was her professional reputation and it had taken her so long to claw that back. She watched as Alex swallowed, her throat bobbing as she held Casey’s hard stare but as Alex felt her own wounded pride settling back down, her guilt grew as she realised what it was that she’d just done. 

Casey was internally reeling from how quickly the situation has gotten away from her. An added twisting sense of betrayal and hurt that it had been caused by Alex of all people. She’d always felt the blonde had had her back before.

Michelle tried to interject but floundered as she didn't quite know how to deal with two forces of nature looking as if they were gearing up to go for each other. Eventually it was Alex who relented – realising she’d crossed the line in hinting that Casey had done wrong when she was plenty guilty of doing worse - she'd just gotten away with it. 

Alex knew she had to admit her mistake and do some damage control, she was surprised at just how horrible she felt knowing that she had hurt Casey, even though she hadn't even seen the woman in a number of years. She reset herself in her seat, and smiled bashfully to the crowd with a self-depreciating sigh. Casey knew it was a fake smile but its saccharine quality reassured Michelle and the tension the crowd had felt rising started to dissipate.

Alex turned her body to Casey fully. Making sure she had the other women's complete attention she poured as much earnestness into her expression as she could as she held the green eyes with her deep blue ones and spoke quickly but quietly,

“I'm so sorry Casey, that was unfair of me.” The redhead was able to see the genuine culpability in Alex's demeanour so gave the barest of nods in acceptance of the apology.

Alex felt the tightening of her chest start to ease slightly at Casey's acceptance and so turned to the crowd with a light laugh so that they focussed on her once again,

“Would you believe me if I said that Miss Novak and I had been friends and close colleagues for well over 10 years?” Disbelieving chuckles rippled across the darkened auditorium as the audience gave into their relief that the panellists obviously were moving on from their intense disagreement. Casey gave a wry smile now to the audience too, settling herself with a sip from her glass of water.

“Casey omitted in her own introduction that she is one of the longest standing, and most successful, special victims ADAs ever in Manhattan, and she had a prosecutorial record on cases on women's issues that was among the best in the US for many years.”

Casey blushed but acknowledged Alex's attempt to repair the implied dent to her reputation with her earlier comment. She was always impressed – at times awed – at Alex's ability to work a jury and it was clear that the blonde's skills had only grown in the intervening years as she immediately had their audience back in the palm of her hands. Smiling to herself, she found it easy to follow Alex's lead, particularly as the blonde's comments had meant the crowd were now looking at Casey with greater interest and curiosity. Casey opened her palms wide as she turned to address the audience directly,

“I'm sorry, I'm sure you are all familiar with having to defend what you believe in so much that it can become a bit of a flash point...” She paused here to allow the murmurs of agreement sympathy settle, she glanced at Alex from the side of her eyes, her grin turning more impertinent as she continued, “plus Alex and I have always butted heads a little professionally...” – a full ripple of laughter met them as Alex nodded her head with an exaggeratedly wide-eyed look that seemed to say 'do you see what I have had to deal with?'

Michelle, her relief palpable that she didn't have to stop a fight between the two panellists on stage, was just as curious as the rest of the auditorium as to what the back-story for the two women was, 

“Oh yes Miss Novak? Why is that the case?”

Alex and Casey shared a look – both thinking they had had their own reasons as to why they had sometimes grated against each other so tensely at work. Casey quirked an eyebrow at Alex and then with an over inflated wave of her hand conveyed that she was ceding the stage to the captivating blonde woman. 

Alex took the chance offered to her and preceded to entrance everyone in the room with her charisma and charm,

“As is so evident as the discussion we just had,” she allowed her lips to quirk into a momentary grin, “we are both particularly passionate about getting justice – proper justice – for the victims of violent crime, especially when violence has been perpetrated against women or vulnerable members of our society.” 

Alex paused to take in the nodding heads around the room. Taking a moment, Casey admired how comfortably Alex adopted this super personable persona. It was very close to how she used to command the courtroom, but here she appeared much more approachable and easier to relate to. It was almost as if the so-called ‘Ice-Queen’ had finally thawed out, not needing to rely on her hardened facade to be taken seriously or to protect herself anymore. Although Casey was fairly certain by the way she had to keep consciously uncrossing her arms that Alex was actually still nervous in her own way. 

Casey realised with a start that Alex had continued talking without her hearing any of the words she was saying. After pausing again to allow for some light applause Alex turned to her with a grin that had the redhead panicking to zone back into the conversation,

“Plus it isn't very common, particularly as a lawyer, that you have to work with – even share the same job with – the person who tries your own murder trial...” 

At this Casey released a dark laugh, and smiled genuinely at Alex with a shake of her head,

“To be fair on me, you were meant to be dead you know…”

There were murmurs of confusion amongst the packed auditorium. Michelle the host leaned forward in her own chair, conveying the intrigue that was rife across the room, 

“I'm sorry Miss Cabot, Miss Novak, did you say your murder trial??” You could see her desperately struggling again, not having any prompt-cards prepared for this situation. After looking at Casey for some reassurance, Alex took the lead once more,

“Yes actually,” she shifted in the low sat armchair again, knowing she had absolutely everybody in the room's attention on her,

“It is not something I obviously like to talk about a lot, but it is so incredibly relevant to our current discussion and the wider debate about violence against women in the justice system that it would be hypocritical of me not to.” 

You could have heard a pin drop in the vast room, Alex took a deep breath and looked up and into the crowd,

“In 2003 I was murdered in a drive-by shooting,” she continued despite the shocked gasps and exclamations, “I took two bullets to my right shoulder and was pronounced dead after undergoing emergency surgery. In my subsequent absence Miss Novak here,” Alex rotated in her seat and indicated towards Casey with a wave and a smile, “inherited my post within the DA's office and was eventually able to bring about the prosecution of the hitman that shot me to trial.”

Casey couldn’t help but interject, 

“At which point I nearly lost the damn case on the technicality that you weren't actually dead. I mean I'd literally held your death certificate...” her cheeky smile that showed her dimples and accompanying eye-roll at Alex made the blonde laugh kindly, glad that they were both able to overcome the innate morbidity of their previous situation. She turned to shrug her shoulders at the confused moderator with a small chuckle,

“I think it is only fair for everyone today to hear the whole story – if that is okay Michelle?”

The younger woman nodded enthusiastically, riveted by the unexpected turn of events and just glad that somebody else was willing to take some kind of control. Alex took a sip of her water and settled into the chair,

“When prosecuting special victims’ cases, you really see the most heinous of crimes, and more often than not the victims of these crimes are women. As a female prosecutor trying to get justice for these crimes you can end up opening yourself up to being attacked” from the corner of her eye Alex saw Casey shuffle anxiously and look down as her hands twisted against each other in her lap. Hoping to try keep the focus off of Casey Alex barrelled on,

“I'd been verbally and physically threatened so often I'd given up keeping track – from aggressive suspects, reluctant witnesses, distraught relatives or angry and frustrated law enforcement officers, you get used to expecting it in every single aspect of your professional life.”

She shifted forward to the edge of her seat, tucking her crossed ankles to the side, “we aren't also just talking about micro-aggressions either – explicit and overt violent acts surrounded my everyday life for years. For anybody living in such an environment, being faced with such vitriol and violence so continuously changes you. For some they end up perpetuating such behaviour, either in order to protect themselves, or because it is so inherent and systemic that they cannot see any other way to manage.” 

“Others become numb to it, and everything else in life, and simply pretend whenever they can that it doesn’t exist. And for a few, it can make them entrenched in their determination to change it – often ending up on the outside of the very system they work in as the rest close ranks.” She eyed Casey slightly at this, the redhead giving her a small glare of defiance.

“Of course, these are generalisations,” her acquiescence mollified Casey slightly and she tipped her head in acknowledgement for Alex to continue, “and many individuals within the justice system will fall slightly more into one camp than the other.” 

Alex knew she had kept most of the audience on side with that. Ever careful with her words, she hoped the purposeful vagueness meant she wouldn’t immediately be ostracised by any irate law enforcement officials who might be attending, despite how ironic it would be.

“But what happens when a system just keeps allowing for violence to permeate every facet of its working?” Alex paused here to let the members of the audience think on her words,

“'An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind' – this is a well-known saying for anybody who studies the basic premises of law and justice, but it is something that we have intrinsically lost sight of,” Alex heard Casey unmistakeably scoff lightly behind her. She refused to turn around, “Yes, pun fully intended there,” she added dryly.

“Just as Miss Novak alluded to in her introduction, violence and violent actions always have a way of affecting women, children and minority groups in society more than any other – even if the original violent action was not directed at them in the first place. How often do we hear the story of how a man ends up in jail for some random bar fight, but it is the women in his life that have to pick up behind him – whether it is keeping the house now without his salary or support, or having to choose between finding a job and looking after the children or other dependants on top of this. We know that prison or jail terms very rarely fully rehabilitate offenders, and in fact people – particularly men – are actually more likely to leave a custodial sentence having been exposed, even become victims themselves, to even greater levels of violence.” She paused here knowing she is at risk of pushing some of them too far.

“I'll be the first to admit that custodial sentencing is still more than necessary in many criminal circumstances, I even fought for the death penalty on cases when it was still possible to do so in New York, so don't ever think I'm somebody who is 'soft-on-crime',” Alex used the colloquial bunny quotes with her fingers to show her derision of anyone who could possibly foster such an opinion of her. Casey noticed the old steeliness she was so used to hearing in the blonde’s demeanour creep back in, demanding respect from all those around her.

“Custodial sentences are also an extremely important part of bringing a sense of justice to the victims of crime, a sense of safety too – but to rely so heavily on them is like hoping a band-aid would patch up the hole on the Titanic,” she paused for a moment to quickly sip some water, keeping the focus of everyone in the room on her so effortlessly,

“I would then say ‘before you know it we'll all be hoping there is extra room next to Kate Winslett on that bit of wood’, but we are already at that point! There is so much violence built into our justice system, or at least there persists such a systemic lack of opportunities for de-escalation, that the proverbial ship has already sunk. Prisons are overcrowded so early release is almost always guaranteed – undercutting any beneficial effect a sentence might bring to a victim or their families. Rates of re-offending are vast. People with means seem to be given preferential treatment and there is an inherent lack of trust of law enforcement amongst the most vulnerable groups in society.” Alex ticked off her points with her hands as she spoke,

“At times it is so clear to see that that lack of trust is merited. What we need to do now is to think how we can circle the remaining life boats. To work together to do our best to pick up as many survivors that we can and then set about changing how future boats are built so that it doesn't happen again.”

Here Alex waited for a moment, knowing she'd probably been skirting close to the line of controversy but pleased she had been able to get her points across.

“My own story is a prime example of this, I'd gotten so used to being surrounded by violence that I was unable to see how it changed my own judgement and behaviours.” At this Alex stands and perched on the arm of her chair to continue, needing to expel some of the nervous energy which always built in her whenever she discussed her shooting,

“I was prosecuting a particularly nasty case where the prime suspect had links to a drug cartel. My colleagues in the DA's office told me to be careful, my own detectives-,” Casey could hear the slight hitch in Alex's voice, “-my friends, urged me to drop the case after the cartel put a hit out on myself and my mother. They tried to intimidate me with photos of both myself and her and other loved ones going about our lives. They had her address, knew where to get to her, but I was so soaked in the world of violence, so determined that as I was part of the system I was immune to it, I ignored them.” Here Alex paused to sigh deeply her free hand coming up to rub gently at her shoulder, trying to banish the burning yet icy feeling that flashed through the scars that remained there.

“I was shot in front of those same friends. They could have very easily been killed too.” She took a deep shuddering breath, having to consciously drag her mind from the traumatic memories of that fateful night, and the cold dread of familiar visions from nightmares of what could have happened. 

“After I pulled through the initial trauma surgery, I was immediately placed in witness protection and taken away from everything, and everyone, I’d ever known.”

“It was not just the initial violence which affected me, even though I was the victim – the intended target. My mother died whilst I was in witness protection, without knowing that I – her only child – was actually still alive. I obviously was unable to attend her funeral or be there as my father grieved.” 

Casey felt her heart ache for Alex, her own relationship with her parents was… complicated… right now, but she still shuddered at the thought of losing them. With Alex always coming across so composed Casey acknowledged that she hadn’t given much thought to just how much the other woman had gone through in those years, particularly after the trial. Taking a small break to compose herself Alex could tell from the silence in the room she had the audience’s focus, and stood to take several steps around the stage,

“I had to live under several false-identities, constantly lying to everyone around me. Such duplicitousness does not come naturally to me and I still feel guilty to this day about people I must have hurt… And people also got physically hurt in trying to protect me. After I attended court to ensure my shooter was put behind bars by Miss Novak here – the cartel knew I was alive, even though I had gone back into the witness protection programme. I actually had to leave one identity, just drop everything, because it became clear the cartel were getting close to finding me.” 

Alex sat heavily back down on the armrest of her chair at the front of the stage, even then maintaining an elegant composure that Casey knew everyone would find just as compelling as she did,

“I lived under constant fear of everyone and everything including myself, slipping up or saying the wrong thing and possibly making someone else a target, for years. A single violent act – me being shot – had negative impacts on so many people’s lives. Countless lives.” She shrugged her shoulders, “Even now, years later and with the original perpetrators either dead or in prison, the ramifications can still be felt.” 

Casey could only watch on silently as Alex revealed more of herself to this audience than even they were aware of. For anyone who knew Alex personally knew she was admitting to the fact her stubbornness had cost her so much more than just several years in witsec. All those lost chances and opportunities. All those ‘could have been’ situations and ‘what if’ scenarios. It was a lot.

“And if that is the case for someone like me – an integral player in the justice system, just trying to do my job, well educated, well connected, well protected… well I was lucky enough to be considered of value to our government and federal prosecutors that they went to such extreme lengths for me. But even then, the impact of violence upon those around me is so clear… Well, what hope does someone without the same privileges I happen to have, have?” 

Alex used every elocution trick she knew to try drum in her next point: speaking slower, clear enunciation, eye contact with the crowd even though the stage lighting meant she couldn’t really see them clearly, hand motions short and precise to emphasise and not distract. Casey remembered now why Alex had always been considered quite so formidable.

“Every life is important, no matter what their background is, what supposed ‘potential’ they may or may not have. With so much violence around us and in the justice system it is so easy to lose sight of that.” Alex sighed deeply. “That is why fighting for justice reform, for better rights for the victims of crime is so damn important. It’s why despite Miss Novak disagreeing on the how, I know we both ultimately want the same end result – a system which actually provides meaningful justice, and that limits, rather than perpetuates, the cycle of violence.” 

Ending emphatically, Alex dropped her hand that had been holding the microphone, somewhat bashfully ducking her head at the spontaneous loud applause that broke across the room, 

“Thank you all for indulging me with that, I appreciate I may have been preaching to the choir a little on certain points,” there was another rumble of laughter from the audience, “but if I have learnt anything from all my experiences – working together to manage change is what is best – is what is necessary – given the seriousness of the situation that we find ourselves in.” 

Standing to return to her seat Alex was finally able to take in Casey’s surprised but thoughtful expression as she watched her move. With her back still momentarily turned to the audience, it was only Casey that saw the shaky exhalation as the blonde made her way to her seat and sat down. Instinctively, Casey found herself reaching over the short distance between the ridiculous chairs to grasp Alex’s hand. The touch made the blonde jump just ever so slightly but she returned Casey’s reassuring squeeze with a smile, pleased to know that she understood it took a lot for her to share such a personal story.

Both women were aware that Michelle was trying to figure out how to bring the whole session back on track and so readied themselves, fortified with new glasses of water – even if both desperately wished it was something stronger – as the young woman eventually decided to just open up the floor for questions. 

Alex balked as immediately most of the crowd seem to raise their hand and Casey couldn’t help but chuckle at her. Taking pity she decided to save Alex, 

“Just so everyone is aware, Miss Cabot is unable to answer any questions beyond procedural ones about her time in the Witsec programme… them’s the rules people!” 

Alex shot her a grateful smile as a swathe of hands were lowered with only mild grumbling. 

Michelle finally found herself in more familiar territory and actually proved herself quite adept at managing the Q&A that followed. Both of them were given ample time to talk about their current projects – Alex was intrigued to hear just how actively involved Casey was in trying to instigate legislative change in how mental health issues were tackled during investigations and prosecutions and Alex had the room in the palm of her hand once more as she talked on how her experiences during her time as a prosecutor for the international criminal court and her work across various countries in Africa had formed her opinion that the change needed in the US justice system had to be driven now. 

Her argument of having to work outside of the system to instigate meaningful change still chafed at Casey’s frustration but she swallowed it down in realisation that Alex simply meant the system was too broken now to save itself – others had to step in to save it. Casey could understand that, hell Casey was doing that exact thing. She rolled her eyes at herself – typical lawyers getting tied up in words.

The panel finally wound down, Michelle having to apologise to those with remaining questions as the session had already run over by quite some way. After the rousing applause and wall of noise as a large number of people shifted and moved out of their seats Alex quickly touched Casey’s arm to catch her attention,

“Casey, I am so sorry about before.”

“It’s okay Alex I get it now, we’re all good.” Casey tried to reassure her as much as possible. They both knew that they are about to get swept up in the typical post-panel networking event frenzy, neither doubting it would be more intense than usual given Alex’s revelations.

“I’d love to actually catch up properly without several hundred people around us, are you coming to that dinner tonight?”

“No, I was never meant to be here remember,” she grinned and raised her eyebrow teasingly, “and after that session you’ll be the belle of the ball, as usual,” she shot Alex a wink that Alex couldn’t help but blush at. She tried to remember, had Casey always been this… flirtatious? 

“Okay what about tomorrow?” Alex glanced out of the side of her eye and saw a beaming Michelle rapidly approaching her with a large number of keen conference organisers clearly ready to fawn over them building up behind her. “I’m staying at the Celeste Hotel, near Pembroke? Dinner?”

“Yeah that’d be great,” Casey quickly reached into her returned briefcase for a card, “my cell is on the back.” 

Alex was barely able to grip the small card before they were both separated by the wave of people clamouring for their attention. She was able to see one last reassuring smile from Casey before she lost sight of the redhead in the crowd. Unexpectedly pleased to bump into her again, Alex found that she was actually very much looking forward to getting through the next few days to properly catch-up, particularly if Casey was going to keep winking at her like that...


	2. When is dinner just dinner?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their unexpected reunion Casey and Alex get the chance to catch up properly over dinner, we find out a little bit more about what they are both up to and get the chance to reminisce with new understanding...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and feedback on the first chapter! I hope this one is as enjoyable, as always please do feel free to leave any comments or feedback!

Casey was running late. Typically. Finding herself inexplicably more nervous than you should be when simply catching up with an old colleague she’d buried herself in paperwork to try calm down and then ironically ended up losing track of time.

She had rushed into the foyer of Alex’s hotel – characteristically classy, shiny and with far too much lighting – and was able to convince the concierge to lead her straight to the table where Alex was waiting. Casey took in the blonde as she approached unnoticed – Alex’s body language was clearly introspective: sat there with her leg crossed at the knee, one hand in her lap and the other suspended over the top of her glass of wine as she languidly trailed a finger around the rim. The redhead was struck by just how alone and tired the blonde looked and resolved herself to try be as good company as she could for the evening.

She could tell the moment the blonde saw her though; she immediately perked up – tiredness melting from her posture and features and she stood to greet Casey with a quick hug and gesture for her to take her seat. A waiter arrived and Casey opted to join Alex with a glass of wine as they looked through the menu. Casey couldn’t help but let out a low whistle as she perused through what was on offer,

“I mean I’m not surprised but this is a pretty swanky place you got yourself here Cabot.”

Alex laughed at the teasing, “I mean I’d hate to break this illusion that you have of me but trust me, it’s a lot more-” she glanced around the overly bright and manufactured ‘cool’ vibe, all glass, mock marble and highly polished metal – “‘shiny’ than I would personally choose.”

“You didn’t give the conference organisers an approved shortlist?” Casey smirked at her over the top of her menu. Alex chuckled lightly but paused for them to both place their orders with the ever-attentive waiter that materialised out of nowhere.

“No, actually the conference being on was simply an added benefit of me being in town so I would have felt bad giving them a list of demands.” Casey caught herself watching the elegant column of Alex’s neck as she turned to hand her now redundant menu to the waiter with a quick smile. When Alex turned back to Casey she saw as the redhead started slightly and flushed, but quickly came back to herself, a look of genuine curiosity now gracing her features,

“I’m sorry I hadn’t realised, what is it that brought you here then? How long are you calling this place home for?”

“I’m actually going to be here for, hmm, over twelve weeks I think?” she glanced to the side and tried to do the mental math to work out if that was about right, “it’s actually about the longest I’ve been in one place for a while,” she tried to smile but Casey saw the tiredness from before in the set of her jaw and slope of her normally square shoulders.

“That sounds utterly exhausting.”

“Exhausting was running around different countries in Africa for two years. This? This is easy in comparison to that.” Casey simply continued to stare down Alex until the blonde tilted her head chagrined, “Okay, it’s exhausting in its own way and I don’t expect it’ll change just because I’m staying put in this palatial hotel room with its own spa pool and extensive wine list,” that got Casey to laugh at least, “but it’ll be nice to actually have a chance to unpack properly for a change.”

Alex paused as their food was delivered and the usual fussing that happens in such circumstances occurred, she found herself enjoying watching Casey try the different parts of her dishes – something was so reassuring about the ease and familiarity of simply sharing a meal with the redhead. Finally, when they had both discussed the sauces and Casey had convinced Alex to actually try her fish dish after she saw the blonde eyeing it enviously, she asked again,

“What is it you are actually here to do, if you don’t mind me prying?”

“You know about the Jeffries case?”

“The billionaire accused of literally hundreds of sexual assaults against underage girls at his home here in Florida?” Casey gave Alex such a deadpan look, “Gee I think I might’ve heard it mentioned…”

Alex tipped her glass to Casey to acknowledge her sarcasm, taking a deep sip she carefully placed it back on the table but continued to hold the stem,

“Obviously this is off-record’” Casey simply pulled a face, her nose crinkling as she waved Alex off indicating she had taken that as a given, “I’ve been brought in as part of the women’s rights group that is supporting the survivors as they bring a civil class-action lawsuit to get them some tangible remuneration for this bastard’s actions.”

If Casey was surprised then she hid it well, Alex sat back with a sigh, “I’ve got over fifty claimants already signed on Case. Fifty. ‘We’ – as well as the 'powers-that-be' – strongly expect that this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of his victims. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up with hundreds, he must have abused thousands over the years.”

Casey was glad she had finished eating, her appetite more than soured at the picture Alex painted even though Casey had come to a similar conclusion herself from the details she’d already heard about that particularly gross case.

“That’s a lot to take on Al,” Alex felt her chest expand at the understanding and concern that shone in Casey’s green eyes.

“I’m not hiding from that at all. Thankfully it’s a team effort and I’m mostly being brought in for the set up and to liaise with the survivor’s support group. I’m also taking part in some of the internal and independent investigations that are going on at the organisational level at how he was able to commit such heinous acts for so long – already there are indications of hush-payments and cover-ups at several police precincts.”

Alex couldn’t help but sigh tiredly once again, “It’s going to ruffle a lot of feathers for sure, but it is so important to at least get the initial groundwork and set-up done properly that really there was no question that of me delegating that responsibility,”

“Ever the public servant Miss Cabot,” Casey’s smile was as soft as it was teasing, she was amazed at just how much the other woman continued to take on. Alex laughed into her wine glass in response,

“That or a glutton for punishment”

“Well guess that makes two of us.” Alex did laugh out loud at that, sitting back and taking in how easy it was for her to simply enjoy spending time with Casey – someone who understood that driving need to keep trying to make a difference. The two women shared another smile as their wine was topped up. Casey leaned forward to clink their glasses together in a toast,

“Well systemic change has to start somewhere, and there’s no-one better to lead the charge.”

Alex blushed as the phrase reminded her of the argument they had fallen into at the panel. She set her glass down with a small grimace in embarrassment at her own behaviour,

“Casey, I know you said all was forgiven but I am still so sorry for how I behaved at the panel, getting so defensive and-,” she looked off to the side and sought the right word before giving a self-depreciative grin “‘aggressive’ with you, and then totally hijacking the whole thing.”

Casey laughed good naturedly,

“Well again, it’s okay.” She leant back in her chair and lifted her chin sassily, “Plus I quite enjoyed getting to watch you take charge and strut around like you used to in court in your early days at the DA’s office”, she finished her statement with a teasing quirk of her eyebrow.

“I never strutted.” Alex tried but failed to suppress a grin,

“Oh come on Alex! I remember watching you – you strutted.” 

A pleased look flashed across Alex’s face as she settled confidently back in her chair. With a self-confidence that could only be described as swagger she picked up her wine and gave Casey a look over the top of her glasses,

“You used to watch me in court? I don’t remember seeing you there?”

Casey blushed deeply at being on the receiving end of such a scorching look. She swallowed quickly, the cocky confidence Alex could exude at the flick of an eyebrow always did affect her, at least now she had a better idea why that was. The redhead bashfully ran her fingertips over the leftover cutlery on the table as she decided to come clean,

“We hadn’t technically met yet. It was mainly just after I’d arrived at the DA’s office-”

“Mainly? It was more than once?” Alex leaned forward enjoying winding up the other woman,

“As I was saying.” Casey eyes flashed at Alex’s attempt to unsettle her further, “I’d just arrived, a wet-behind the ears ADA trying to make a name for myself when Branch put me in white collar. It was just so much of following the paper trails and number crunching; I didn’t want to lose my edge when it came to having to confront suspects and cross-examining them in court.” She paused to sip her wine, knowing she had Alex’s full attention and loving that feeling,

“I wanted to go to homicide you know? All the glory,” she shrugged tiredly, “as naive as that sounds now. My old mentor Judge Clark – she told me to go watch this quote ‘new feisty blonde working for Manhattan Special Victims’,” Alex chuckled lightly at the anecdote, although quickly frowned as Casey teased her once more, “of course she never did say whether it was to see what to emulate or what to avoid…”

Casey laughed at the scoff Alex gave her, haughtily sipping her wine. Summoning a little courage, she decided to push a little, 

“Plus-” Alex paused whatever witty repartee she was forming when she noticed Casey’s – _flirtatious_? Yep, it definitely read as flirtatious – quirk of her eyebrow as she took a self-assured swig of her wine to mimic Alex even as she undeniably ran her gaze up and down Alex’s body,

“I had to see if all that gossip about your killer skirts and heels was true...”  
  
Alex was still slightly reeling at her realisation that the redhead was definitely toying with her and was too shocked to temper her reaction to such an overt come-on,

“Casey Novak!” she exclaimed loudly, causing a few other diners several tables away cast them glances. The redhead cackled at her lack of composure so Alex gave into her most puerile impulses and simply balled up her napkin and chucked it at her. Casey adored the unexpected childishness from the blonde and was doubly pleased her reactions remained sharp enough to catch the linen missile before it hit her,

“Al, you wore fucking Louboutin’s for Christ’s sake! And you almost couldn't see your skirt it was so short when you were in front of Ridenour!”

At this Alex blushed but smirked wickedly,

“All in the name of justice...” both women paused and looked at each other before laughing heartily at the comment. Alex was enjoying the unexpected trip down memory lane, and this new relaxed and more confident Casey. She sighed in reminiscence as she leaned back and crossed her long legs at the knee once more,

“Ah Judge Ridenour, I hardly ever lost even a motion in front of him. And I miss those heels, they were good heels.” She sipped her wine before furrowing her brows slightly, “I don't even know what happened to him...”

Casey interjected calmly, if not unkindly,

“He passed away two years ago, heart attack on the golf course.” Alex tipped her head to side with another sigh, feeling saddened that another part of her old life had gone without her having realised,

“Shame, he was a good man despite his open over-admiration for short skirts and high-heels…”

Casey chuckled, leaning back to admire this new found - dare she say coquettish? – side of Alex,

“How did you even discover his weakness?”  
  
Alex smiled to herself as her gaze shifted from Casey’s bright eyes to the middle distance behind her shoulder,

“I didn't, it was Olivia actually.” She shot Casey a look and saw the redhead looked suitably intrigued, “we had a short-notice arraignment after a collar she'd made, I didn't have my usual court shoes with me. Liv told me afterwards that the Judge had barely taken his eyes off my legs and it sort of all spiralled from there.”

She finished with a chortle, casting her mind back over simpler – arguably in many ways happier – times. She brought herself back to the room with a light shake of her head, looking up to find Casey smiling at her sweetly, the restaurants typically soft lighting framing her, accentuating her dimples as she watched Alex talk.

Alex felt herself warm at the attention and was taken by surprise at the sudden intense swell of affection in her chest for the redhead. She tried to deflect, shifting forward in her seat and placing both of her forearms on the table to try and break the prior stillness of their 'moment'.

Casey took a deep breath when Alex shifted, she'd gotten caught up in how radiant the blonde had looked and had felt she’d seen _something_ reciprocal flash in those achingly familiar blue eyes. She licked her lower lip, nipping on it nervously as she built up the courage to ask the question that had been on the tip of her tongue so many times over the years,

“Alex -,” Alex's eyes flitted up to Casey's from where she'd gotten distracted by the other woman biting her lip, “I always wondered, you and Olivia-”

Casey paused as Alex broke her gaze away to where her hand was suddenly tracing the threads of the linen tablecloth. At the blonde's obvious discomfort Casey faltered in finishing the question she had started, instead letting a heavy silence settle between them.

Alex was quiet for a moment or two, watching the motion of her hands and stretching out her long fingers before she sat up with a small sigh. She wasn’t altogether unsurprised at Casey’s curiosity but struggled to work out how to respond to the unspoken question. She finished the wine in her glass and then continued to hold the empty vessel,

“We never were 'together' – properly or officially,” she waved her free hand in the air in front of her to indicate a vagueness, “but-,” her normally clear and reliant voice failed her momentarily, “-but we were more than definitely heading that way. Even if nothing had been acted upon or discussed openly per se.” She gave Casey a sad shrug of her shoulders, “It was a different time, we were different people…”

“What happened?”

At this Alex scoffed bitterly, she topped up her wineglass with the end of the bottle before the waiter could get to it, instead she caught the servers’ eye and tapped the bottle to indicate she wanted another. When she turned back to Casey the redhead almost balked at the cold front that had fallen over Alex’s features once more, reminding her so much more of the young aloof ADA she’d once been so intimidated by. The juxtaposition of how warm and open she had been but moments ago reinforced just how far their relationship had come over the years – even if they had not kept in touch for several of them.

Casey decided right then to try make sure Alex was able to relax with her once more. She leaned forward, debating whether to touch the blonde’s hand to reassure her,

“Hey Al, it’s okay, you don’t have to tell me. I didn’t mean anything-,”

“Connors.”

Alex was finally able to spit out a response as she accepted the fresh wine from a hastily retreating server. She poured a hefty measure for herself and automatically refilled Casey’s glass as the redhead tried to physically and metaphorically retreat at her interruption,

“Oh”

“Yeah, big ‘oh’.”

Casey didn’t quite know how she’d turned such an enjoyable and friendly – with those moments that definitely edged towards more – evening with Alex on its head as abruptly as she had. She was desperately backpedalling for how to convey her sympathy for the past, for the ‘what could have been’ scenarios that were undoubtedly suddenly racing through both of their heads, and regret for bringing it up now, whilst also not wanting to make a bigger deal of it all – simple social gymnastics really…

Alex was sat almost truculently back in her chair, her body pulling away from the table she shared with Casey, her arms defensively crossed in front of her as she watched Casey open and close her mouth slightly several times, as if she was about to speak but constantly changing her mind. Finally, she had had enough, her cold tone cutting through Casey’s dallying,

“I don’t know why you’d drag this up now though? I would’ve thought Olivia would have told you.” She hated that she could fall back into this coldness so quickly, but past hurts had been stirred up and she never had dealt with the pain well.

Casey’s confusion was only heightened. She mirrored Alex’s closed-off pose and couldn’t help but jut her chin out defensively at Alex’s accusatory tone,

“What do you mean Olivia would have told me?”

“When you and her were together?” Alex has her best prosecutor glare on now, turned up to the max, but it broke and her eyes widened when Casey visibly choked on air once she processed what Alex was insinuating. The redhead was incredulous,

“ _Me_ and Liv?” she shifted forward, leaning across the sudden no-man’s land of the table, straining to keep her voice low, “what the hell Alex! Olivia and I were never together.”

Alex could feel her ire rising with her own confusion. It caused her cold veneer to crack, her emotions still got the better of her even now and that in itself made her more frustrated at the redhead in front of her. The blonde also pushed herself to the edge of the seat so she could shout-whisper right back at Casey, her deep blue eyes flashing with hurt she thought she’d long gotten over,

“Not together? Please, I saw you when I got back from witsec. I saw how you and her were together. How you looked at her, how– “

Alex’s voice broke once more, she swallowed her emotional indignation down with the realisation that she’d gotten overly upset over something that had been so far out of her control, and now so long ago. She sat back closing her eyes, trying to regain her composure with a deep sigh. Once she felt she could trust herself she opened them again to meet Casey’s softening gaze with a tired tilt of her head,

“-how she looked at you.”

Alex stretched her neck out by tilting her chin up to the ceiling for a moment, she couldn’t bear to look at Casey as her brain quickly leapt between various past scenarios she’d observed Casey and Olivia together in, slowly coming to realise it may not have been as she’d thought at the time,

“Do you mean to tell me there was nothing ever between you?”

Casey let Alex’s words hang there between them, knowing that the blonde was deliberately avoiding making eye contact with her. Deciding that that simply wouldn’t do Casey reached forward to lay her hand on Alex’s wrist. The soft contact immediately made the blonde look to where Casey was touching her, before flicking her eyes up to meet the redhead’s gaze. Casey did her best to look as open as she could,

“Listen to me Alex, okay? Olivia and I were good friends and that’s it, nothing more ever happened I promise.”

She waited as Alex searched her face before giving a nod to indicate she accepted the truth of what Casey was telling her. Grateful to see Alex was accepting and listening to what she was saying Casey patted her arm once more before retreating back to her own side of the table.

“I’m sorry,” Alex’s apology caught them both off-guard. “It’s just when I got back – back properly, I’d had over four years to think of her. How she’d literally saved my life, and I was finally ready to tell her, you know? Committing career suicide, as it would’ve been back then, didn’t seem to matter as much when you’ve already come back from the dead once, right?”

Alex was relieved to see Casey chuckle at her dark sense of humour once more.

“But then I saw you together, how close you were: doing cases, running around the courthouse and hanging out like we used to and – ” the normally eloquent woman shrugged as words failed her once more. She decided to drink her wine instead. Casey followed the motion of the glass to the blonde’s pink lips and decided that wine just simply wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

Allowing Alex more time to compose herself Casey waved over one of the waiting servers over and requested to see their whisky menu. The inference made Alex laugh lightly. She let the redhead continue, her green eyes flicking across the admittedly extensive list before choosing,

“Two glasses of the 18-year old Auchentoshan please, rocks and water on the side.”

Alex raised her eyebrows at Casey’s confident order, part of her quite relieved that Casey had just taken control after their conversation had gotten more emotionally taxing than either had necessarily prepared for. She gave Casey a light questioning look as the waiter left to bring them the requested drinks. Casey grinned in return,

“Thought we could do with something stronger, also thought it might as well taste nice.”

Alex couldn’t help but smile at the cheeky quirk of Casey’s eyebrow and following smugness as the two tumblers of amber liquid quickly arrived at the table, a separate glass of ice and small jug of water deposited next to them. Acknowledging the waiter with a nod and quiet ‘thank you’ Alex watched curiously as Casey added a small splash of water to the whiskey before savouring a small sip. She copied the redhead’s actions and couldn’t help the low hum of satisfaction that left her at the taste,

“Ugh, god that is so smooth,”

Casey smiled widely, pleased her choice was well received by the other woman,

“One of the best things about getting older is realising you can finally indulge in alcohol that doesn’t have to taste like paint stripper.”

Alex laughed and took another small sip, adding a single large ice cube to the drink as she set it back down,

“I don’t think you’ve ever said a truer word than that Novak, although I will say I am still impressed with your selection.”

Casey preened under the compliment and found herself compelled to share once again with the blonde across from her,

“After I left New York, and before I found my way down here, I took a holiday to Ireland and Scotland.” At Alex’s obvious inquisitive look Casey expanded her story,

“It rained a lot. I got damn well bit to death by their mosquitos and had so much fried food, but trust me, it was totally worth it for learning what was good whiskey.”

The two smiled at each other over Casey’s reminiscence, and the change in tension between them let Casey feel brave enough to restart their earlier conversation,

“I’m sorry Alex, I never meant to dredge up all this stuff for us both,” she swirled her scotch gently in the glass, watching it. “I guess hindsight is a great thing, and I will be honest with you, I did hold a torch for Liv for quite some time,” she saw Alex still out of the corner of her eyes and so rushed on plaintively, “but I didn’t even know it then! I always thought she was just so heartbroken over losing you, and then when you came back from the dead it seemed to make sense – she was simply waiting for you. But then you were back, but suddenly engaged to this guy, and then not engaged but still not ‘back’ and Olivia was all sad and pining… I never pried back then because, well, Jesus, it was more drama than a prime-time tele-novella between the two of you and I didn’t even know what it was I wanted.”

Now Casey was looking at Alex, trying to gauge how she was reacting. The normally stoic blonde had paled slightly at the brutally succinct rehashing of some of the toughest times in her personal life, but kept herself calm by occasionally sipping her drink and making the conscious effort to actually listen to Casey; tamping down her instinctual need to object or twist words back on themselves defensively when it came to such things. She continued to listen attentively,

“By the time I even realised I was into women like _that_ ,” Alex’s eyes widened perceptibly at Casey’s blunt phrasing and she snorted in shock into her own glass, “I was already censured and had to step away from it all – from Liv, from you, from all of it.”

Alex couldn’t help but catch Casey’s gaze, her own blue eyes still wide in surprise at the redhead’s forthright declaration, and the implication of the timing she was admitting to. Casey couldn’t help but laugh lightly at having wrong-footed the blonde woman once more. She took another sip of her scotch and leaned in closer to Alex with a conspiratorial shrug,

“What can I say, I was a late bloomer. I seemed to be one of the few who was actually surprised that I was into women.”

Alex finally laughed good-naturedly, fixing Casey with a teasing look,

“Seriously?”

“Seriously!”

Alex shifted forward, lifting her knee back over the other once again as she teased the redhead,

“But with the softball, and the cycling and attachment to strong female friendships…”

“Alright! Alright! I get it,” Casey rolled her eyes at the silent laughter that was evident in Alex’s own blue gaze, “I see _now_ how there might have been several _indications_ , but honestly I just did not realise that how I enjoyed spending time with certain people, meant what it did.”

“What was it that finally made you realise?”

Here Casey blushed deeply but she decided to try smirk it out. Leaning back whilst still holding her glass she gave Alex an overly flirtatious look up and down causing the blonde to fight to suppress the unexpected shiver of arousal that’s shot up her spine,

“Would you believe me if I said it had something to do with the reappearance of a certain blonde colleague with a penchant for short skirts and ridiculous heels to the New York courts?”

Alex’s brain missed a beat, as if the air had been sucked from her lungs – Casey had liked her, actually liked her back then? Had liked her _too?_ The older lawyer had always acknowledged an inherent attraction to the redhead but as she’d thought she was with Olivia, or had had something with the gorgeous brunette, it had been hard for her to actually separate that desirability from the complexity of her own emotions about both women. The blonde’s mind finally managed to re-engage and she tipped her head back with a laugh as she saw that Casey was just sat there with a teasing smile gracing her own lips,

“Oh really?”

Casey could only shrug once more, “There was a lot going on for me at the time, but yeah, sure. Definitely played a role in me realising what I felt for Liv too.” Casey took a big sip of the whiskey, the smooth burn of it sliding down her throat emboldened her to keep her own confessions coming,

“I mean I was a mess at the time, don’t get me wrong, but like I said, once I had worked it all out for myself hindsight definitely revealed a lot more than I ever thought it would.” Casey’s smile this time was bittersweet and Alex couldn’t help but empathise for the younger woman, she reached forward to hold Casey’s hand for a moment,

“I understand Case,” Alex noticed how instinctively Casey perked up at the nickname she used, “I wish I would have known…”

“It’s alright Al,” Casey leaned forward and Alex noted the gentle twinkle in her eyes, “these things sometimes have a way of working themselves out how they’re supposed to, you know?”

Alex ran her eyes over the pretty redhead once more. Coming to rest on the other woman’s shining green eyes she was able to hold her open gaze confidently,

“Yeah, I guess I do know.”

Casey swallowed visibly at the deeper tone evident in Alex’s voice, and the unmistakeable interest in her heated gaze. The two sat simply looking at each other, the air between them thickening with each passing moment as they began to realise there was genuine interest on both sides that went beyond the simple teasing and friendly flirting. Casey opened her mouth to speak once more when her phone rang loudly from her handbag. She recognised the ringtone immediately and winced in apology to Alex,

“I’m so sorry I’ve got to take this,” Alex nodded in understanding, glad for the chance to recollect herself from their emotional whirlwind of an evening. She shook her head to herself, able to feel the combining effects of her earlier wine and whiskey starting to fog her thoughts. Still, even despite all this she couldn’t help but listen in to Casey’s phone call,

“Hey Pen, what’s up? – No, it was okay the panel was -uh- interesting for sure,” Alex smirked as Casey looked up at her with a blush painted across her cheeks,

“No, I can tell you about it tomorrow, is your patient - oh that’s good I guess – No I don’t want to-” the classic roll of Casey’s eyes made Alex laugh properly now.

“What do you mean who was that? Where am I? I’m out for dinner. Who? – None of your business right now,” Casey shot Alex a broad smile and a quick wink to reassure her,

“What is this, the Spanish inquisition? Honestly Pen I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, you should have been a lawyer, you’d obliterate anyone in cross-examination… - Okay, okay, I’ll update you tomorrow, - yeah you owe me – ‘kay, bye.”

Casey sighed deeply as she ended the call. She dropped her phone to the table ran a hand across her face, then looking back to an openly bemused Alex who had been sat back watching her with an endearing smile,

“Sorry, it was my friend Penelope, we actually work together too and she – well – she can be a lot…”

“She obviously cares,”

Casey barked out a laugh, “Yep that she does. You ever have a friend who was like your sister, best friend and your Mom rolled into one?” Alex shook her head softly but was pleased to know Casey had someone like that in her life.

“Well Pen was meant to do that panel but a patient in crisis needed her. This is the first chance she’s had to check-in really.”

Casey looked at her down at her phone now it was on the table and her eyes widened at the hour,

“Shit when did it get so late?” Casey rolled her neck tiredly giving Alex a knowing look, “I’ve got witness prep tomorrow and it is going to _suck.”_

Alex laughed at the redhead’s overdramatic behaviour but agreed it was probably for the best to call an end to their evening. It had been a lot more emotionally revealing than she’d intended, but with the admittedly delicious whiskey still swirling in her system she did not want to make any more of a fool of herself than she felt she already had.

The call from Penelope was like the reality of the outside world seeping into the cocoon of familiar intimacy that had enveloped the two of them. Alex could already feel the pressures of her responsibilities and limited time in Florida creeping in like weights onto her shoulders,

“Well then, maybe we should call it a night? I’ve already taken up a lot of your time.” Casey didn’t know what caused it but she could see Alex slipping into the façade of friendly indifference – of polite conversation and ‘how good it was to see you again’ and she couldn’t stand it. Tonight, she had finally gotten to see the real Alex Cabot – teasing, happy, snorts into glasses of whiskey Alex Cabot –, and had finally had the chance to confess that she had harboured feelings for her previously.

She damn well wasn’t going to let her go again so easily.

“Go to dinner with me,” she blurted out over Alex’s attempts at polite farewells. Alex shot her a confused look, her dulled senses not following,

“Casey? We've just had dinner?”

Casey huffed nervously but ploughed on,

“No, not right now, I mean like _dinner_ dinner, with me...”

The redhead watched apprehensively as Alex’s face went from surprised to blank for a beat or two. But then a slow lascivious smile of understanding etched its way across her defined face. She leant forward on her forearms in a wickedly flirtatious manner. The blonde couldn’t help but wet her bottom lip, gleefully noting that Casey’s eyes kept flicking from her eyes to her mouth as she closed the distance between them,

“Casey, are you asking me on a date?”

Casey swallowed heavily at the almost predatory look Alex was now giving her – it made her instantly realise what prey must feel like being hunted, but having put herself out this far, she was all too willing to let herself get caught. It took a moment to find her voice, but when she did her words came out more far more throatily than she’d intended,

“Yes, I am. If that's okay? Better late than never, right?”

The two women looked at each other for several moments, Alex took in the genuineness of Casey's eyes and couldn’t help but soften her smile. She reached over to touch Casey's hand, making the other woman exhale the breath she hadn't realised she was holding,

“Yes, I think I'd like that very much,” Casey’s grin broke widely across her face, she couldn't hide her giddiness at Alex's words and her happiness was only heightened by the answering grin that the blonde now wore.

“I’m free on Friday night if that works for you?” Alex continued.

Casey nearly rolled her eyes as she tried to mentally think through her diary, determined not to reach for her phone and have to break Alex's light caress of her hand,

“Yep Friday works, I'll text you tomorrow to organise?”

Casey's phone pinged again but with a quick glance at the number of emojis now on her screen she realised it was Penelope – most likely chasing her after she had evaded so many of her earlier questions. She rolled her eyes again at the predictable insistence of her friend but reluctantly broke from Alex's handhold. The blonde startled, having forgotten she'd even placed her hand on the redhead’s. She did however instantly miss the warmth of Casey's skin under her own now that she was without it.

Casey stood as she texted furiously back to her friend. She found herself stood next to Alex on her side of the table, unsure of how to take her leave and nervously shuffling from one foot to the other as she gazed down at the blonde.

Alex rose gracefully with a smirk that re-ignited the smouldering tension that had been roiling in Casey's gut all night. The taller woman quickly placed one of her hands onto Casey's shoulder, the other bracing against her arm, as she pressed a quick kiss to the overwhelmed redhead’s cheek before she could talk herself out of such an affectionate gesture. Pulling back Alex saw that Casey had flushed a deep red, her slightly glazed eyes following the retreat of Alex's face as her tongue rapidly flicked out to wet her lower lip once again.

Alex smirked once more, and gave Casey's arm another squeeze as she stepped further back,

“Goodnight Casey, I look forward to seeing you Friday.”

“Friday, yep, right, Friday you, then.”

Casey was aware she was stumbling over her words nonsensically, but her brain was caught in a loop replaying the past few moments over and over again. Alex's close presence and kiss had nearly short-circuited her ability to think, and that smirk, that goddamn smirk had rooted her legs to the spot in which she stood.

Alex was leaning against the back of her dining chair as she watched Casey struggle, trying hard not to laugh as she floundered. Finally taking pity, she cleared her throat which caused Casey’s eyes to snap up to her own. Alex fixed her with a sensual look from over the rim of her glasses until Casey finally somehow managed to break through the trance Alex had accidently put her in.

Casey swallowed, hiding her embarrassment with a small cough and straightening of her shoulders, trying to vainly hide the impact that just a kiss on her cheek from the other women had had on her,

“Yes, thank you again for tonight.”

She could feel herself getting lost in Alex's eyes once more, the blonde was still watching her with a knowing smile. It was only when one of the wait-staff almost collided with Casey and several plates of food came precariously close to falling onto another customer that Casey was able to shift her feet and move towards the exit, casting several glances back to Alex who watched her go. A final shared smile passed between them as Casey finally made it out of the restaurant’s doors.


	3. Shall we dance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Casey go on their first date - what could possibly go wrong? Or maybe, just maybe, everything could go right...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so seeing as y'all have been super amazing and supportive and I've been bowled over by your enthusiastic comments you are being given this chapter a little earlier than I'd planned - the inner sappy romantic in me had thought about not posting it till Valentines day but tbf its ready to go now and I hope everyone enjoys it.
> 
> Also just to help picture the character, I have shamelessly based Casey's best friend Penelope on none other than the amazing Penelope Garcia of Criminal Minds, apart from here she is obviously not working for the FBI but is a psychologist that works with victims of crime / their family as well as with Casey on mental health reform. She also loves to fuss over our favourite redhead as only Garcia could.
> 
> Please feel free to leave any comments or feedback as always!

It was a disaster. A complete and unmitigated disaster.

Casey stood there distraught at the carnage that was strewn in front of her. How had she ever thought this was going to work was beyond her. She couldn’t even figure out where to start. With her anxiety rising the redhead reached behind her, floundering blindly for her cell. She finally located it and called the first number on her speed-dial, speaking as soon as the call connected,

“Pen I know how this is going to sound but I need your help. I have a date tonight and I don’t know what to wear.”

“Oh my god, is this really happening? Who are you and where is my sweet but occasionally aesthetically challenged Casey? If you’ve harmed one of her perfect red hairs on her head, I will destroy you. Oh wait, is this code? Casey are you in a hostage situation and trying to signal me with an innocuous phrase that you would never say? Cough once for no and twice for yes.”

Casey loved her friend, totally and without reservation. But she didn’t have _time_ for her usual antics today. There was absolutely no chance she was going to be late for Alex again,

“Penelope, please!” the whine of genuine distress was obvious in her voice, the normally low pitch rising higher the longer she looked at the entire contents of her wardrobes which she had spilled over every surface of her bedroom. “I’m totally panicking and I have to meet her soon and, just, its important, please.”

“Okay, how long till you have to go o’ hapless Romeo?”

Case checked her watch, wincing as time continued to disappear on her,

“Forty-five minutes if traffic is kind to me,”

“Okay, I will be round in ten, have you done your face yet?”

Casey feels herself getting even more flustered, how was it she could face down murderers and the scum of humanity on a regular basis but the thought of even trying to get ready for a date, a _date_ with Alex Cabot, and she was completely unravelled,

“You know me too well – no I haven’t.”

“So, go do that whilst I drive,” Casey could hear Penelope’s car beep as she unlocked it in the background, “just keep it light. You are too damn beautiful already to have to worry about overcomplicating things.”

The compliment makes Casey grin, knowing she’d made the right call in roping Penelope in. The reassurance and usual banter had already set her more at ease,

“I’ll remind you of that the next time you describe my dress sense as ‘occasionally aesthetically challenging.’”

She heard the other woman scoff as she clicked her seatbelt in place,

“Puh-lease, I have seen your old blazer collection,” Casey’s eyes were immediately drawn to where said collection was piled up, making her wince a little at some of the brighter colours she’d been drawn to in her younger days.

“We’ll agree to disagree on that. Drive safe Pen, just let yourself in when you get here.”

“I always do, on both counts.”

“And Pen?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Thank you.” Casey’s gratitude was heartfelt, not just for Penelope’s reassurance and how she had immediately dropped whatever she had been doing to come help, but for just being a good friend.

“Don’t be getting sappy on me now Novak, you know I’m just going to take payment in details of how this date goes. And mojitos, many many mojitos…”

Laughing as she agreed and said goodbye Casey found herself in much better frame of mind. She quickly turned from the bomb-site that was her room and ducked into her en-suite bathroom, taking a couple of deep-breaths and giving herself a little pep-talk in the mirror as she followed Penelope’s advice and put on some light make-up.

It seemed like mere moments had passed when she heard the familiar sound of Penelope’s keys in the door and the smaller woman’s heels clacking on the hardwood floor,

“Casey??”

“I’m in here!” Casey yelled back as she rummaged through her jewelry. She was looking for that specific necklace that her brothers had got her last Christmas, knowing she wanted to wear the small green gem even if she couldn’t figure out what clothes to put with it.

“Jesus Christ it looks like you were robbed.”

Casey stuck her head round the bathroom door with a sheepish smile to see her friend stood aghast as she took in the clothing chaos of the room,

“If I had been robbed then there would surely be less to choose from, no such luck unfortunately.” Penelope caught her eye and laughed, pleased to see that the redhead had relaxed enough to crack jokes. She shuffled further into Casey’s bedroom, nudging piles aside with her toes as she tried to get to the centre of it all, her eyes downcast as she surveyed the chaos,

“Where are you taking her?”

Casey paused for a moment, giving herself one last look in the mirror, her hand lingering on the pendant of the necklace for just a little longer before ducking back into the bedroom,

“I reserved a table at Tipicos…” she braced herself for the inevitable reaction. The club was one of her favourite spots in the whole city, her go-to place when out celebrating special occasions with Penelope and other friends. Casey just knew her friend was going to pick up on that,

“You’re taking her to see Toni already?”

Penelope’s surprise was clear, she had been bent over, sorting through Casey’s shirts when the redhead had returned. The smaller woman finally picked up two shirts and turned to face Casey as she continued to compare them, “This woman must be pretty damn amaz- Holy Shit! Are you in fucking lingerie?!”

Casey was immediately embarrassed and could feel her cheeks and chest flushing red as she crossed her arms in front of herself protectively. It wasn’t even as if the set she had chosen was particularly revealing in any way, she’d just wanted to feel good and look nice… just in case…

“What! It’s not like it isn’t anything you haven’t already seen,” she was affronted when Penelope continued to gape at her, blinking slowly until her brain caught up with her,

“Yes, but I see lace Casey, _lace!_ I’m having to re-evaluate everything I had ever thought I knew about you.” Casey frowned at her friend who had immediately dropped the shirts she had picked up and was now rooting around for something else for her to try on. Casey could feel Penelope’s eyes continuously flicking across her body as she sized her up,

“If you are just wanting to get this girl into bed I would say to just go as you are. Damn it, people would kill to look as good as you do right now.”

Bashfully Casey ran her hands down her arms self-consciously,

“And if I was hoping for something more than that?”

Penelope stopped and looked at her for several moments,

“Well then I would say you should’ve given me more than fifteen minutes to get your sorry ass ready.”

The put down and renewed purposefulness with which Penelope sorted through her clothing made Casey relax and grin,

“If anyone can do it you can Pen.”

“You are damn right I can! Okay so Tipicos – were you planning on dancing?”

Casey shrugged and perched on the edge of her bed that had reappeared due to Penelope’s sorting efforts,

“I mean I hoped maybe a little if that’s what Al-she, what _she_ wanted.”

Penelope’s eyes narrowed at her, and Casey just knew her nosy friend is dying to pry more information out of her, but she’d shared too much about Alex and Liv and her time in New York with the bubbly woman previously and Casey just knew if she let it slip that it was _that_ Alex she was meeting tonight Penelope would freak out and the redhead would never make it anywhere near on time.

“Is this the same woman that you had dinner with the other day?”

Casey shrugged again,

“Maybe.”

“Okay then, keep your secrets… are you taller than her?” Penelope always teased Casey for how tall she was but Casey couldn’t quite see how it was relevant right now. She shot Penelope a confused look,

“Actually no, she’s maybe got an inch or so on me.”

Penelope threw up her hands in consternation but was already turning to the far corner to pick up items for Casey,

“What is she? A fucking Amazon?” Casey swallowed down her desire to retort ‘Well yes actually,’ knowing it would break whatever brain-wave her friend currently had. “Okay so she’s tall enough for you to wear those black heeled boots you got last fall,” Penelope gave a small victorious ‘Ah-ha!’ when she liberated said heels from underneath a pile of Casey’s court clothes. “And as you are in boots you can wear those black skinny jeans you love so much, she won’t be able to keep her eyes off of your ass in those.”

Casey spotted the pair Penelope meant and jumped up, already shimmying them up her long legs when Penelope chucked the boots and a blue shirt at her, the redhead stumbling as she tried to catch them,

“Hey! Watch it!”

“I wouldn’t have to watch it if you hurried up and put it on!” Casey huffed at her friends’ petulant antics, knowing fine well that Penelope was loving getting to dress her up. She did up the jeans and put on the boots but held the blue shirt out in front of her as she sized it up,

“Hey Pen? Do you think there might be a different shirt that would work?”

Penelope spun on the spot and nearly toppled over,

“God woman, are you trying to kill me? I don’t even bat for your side but in those pants and that bra even I’d take you home if that wasn-”

“Wasn’t the weirdest grossest things to ever be imagined ever?” Casey was genuinely slightly nauseated,

“Yeah that! What’s wrong with the blue shirt?”

“Honestly? It’s too similar to the colour of her eyes.”

That did draw Penelope up short,

“What the actual… okay you know what, fine,” she tugged the offending shirt out of Casey’s hands and gave her a loose-fitting white sleeveless top instead. Casey immediately grinned knowing it would show off her shoulders and neckline very well and pulled it on. She fluffed out her hair and turned to Penelope for appraisal only to find the other woman holding out Casey’s favourite dark green leather jacket – she always had had a weakness for them but this one had been a particularly self-indulgent purchase,

“Here, this way you won’t have to worry about a losing a purse like you always do.”

Casey grinned as she slipped the surprisingly lightweight jacket on, loving how the buttery leather felt under her hands. Satisfied, she stepped forward and planted an exaggerated kiss onto Penelope’s forehead,

“Thanks Pen, its perfect – I never would’ve thought of it if you hadn’t come round.”

“Well I’d say you’re welcome but I think I should save that for whoever this mystery woman is.”

Her friend’s ability to fish for information whilst remaining petulant always made Casey laugh, although she paused expectantly when a more serious look passed over her friends’ face,

“She’s okay, isn’t she? You aren’t going to end up in some dingy basement chained up are you?”

Laughing Casey made her way out of her bedroom, scooping up her keys and phone as she got ready to leave,

“The only way she’d kill me is if I stood her up or was late again,” she called a little snarkily as she waited for Penelope to join her at the door. She paused till she had her friend’s attention before smirking, “plus if she does want to tie me up it would a hundred percent be consensual.”

“Okay _eww_ I did not need to know that!” Penelope pulled a face and swiped at Casey’s shoulder, the redhead giving a throaty chuckle,

“I’m joking,” Penelope fixed Casey with a look through her square glasses – it was the first time Casey noticed how similar she was to Alex in some ways – yet so very different, thank god. The redhead swallowed under the pointed look, finally looking away and shrugging slightly,

“… mostly…” she murmured slightly sheepishly. Penelope rolled her eyes and shook her head at the blushing redhead,

“She really must be something. You are such a useless lesbian sometimes Casey. Do you need a lift?”

“No, it’s okay, I was going to drive and just pick up the car tomorrow. But I need to go like right now.”

Penelope shooed Casey down her own front steps,

“Then go, I’ll lock up here.”

“Thanks Pen, I owe you!” Casey waved with her car keys as she flung the door open, her mind already running to the evening ahead. She just hoped Alex would forgive her if she ended up being late…

***

The sight of Alex stood just outside the bar, the evening breeze just gently tugging on the hem of the dark blue wrap dress she had on, blonde hair shining in setting sun, well it stopped Casey in her tracks. The abruptness of her stopping though drew the blonde’s attention up from her phone to lock eyes with Casey; a broad grin breaking across her face as she not so unsubtly checked her out, slipping her phone into her hand bag and taking several steps towards the stunned redhead,

“Casey hey! I was just about to ring to see if you’d got held up.” The sound of Alex’s voice sparked Case back into motion,

“Sorry I had a bit of a nightmare trying to park,” she strode forward a couple of steps to meet Alex, both women stopping slightly nervously in front of each other. Casey stumbled over her words slightly as she dipped forward to kiss Alex’s cheek, “You look amazing Al, that dress is gorgeous on you.”

The blonde blushed at the compliment and feel of Casey’s lips pressed against her skin, even if it was just a fleeting touch. She felt her pulse quicken which didn’t help her uncharacteristic nervousness,

“Thank you, I wasn’t sure if it was too much? I didn’t exactly pack a lot of non-work outfits…”

“Nah it’s perfect,” Casey’s eyes practically twinkled as she motioned for Alex to follow her to the bar, “and all work and no play is no way to live,” the blonde shot her a slightly incredulous look as Casey held the door open and winked at her, “or so I keep being told by everyone.”

The self-depreciation made Alex chuckle and she could feel herself relaxing the longer she was with the entertaining red head,

“It’s funny I always get told that too.” She paused as Casey caught up with her, the two of them sharing a knowing smile. Alex let the other woman direct her through the smattering of other early evening customers, enjoying when Casey placed a hand on the small of her back as they made their way to the bar, “have you been here before? Do you know what’s good?”

Casey took her hand back as she braced her forearms against the edge of the bar, smiling up at Alex,

“Yeah actual-,”

“Miss Casey Novak! I heard you were coming in tonight!” both women look up as a very handsome muscular Latino guy approach their spot from the other side of the bar. He put down the glass he’d been cleaning and leant over to kiss Casey on both cheeks in greeting, the redhead receiving a teasing look from Alex,

“And you brought an angel with you,” the charming man turned his mega-watt smile to Alex as Casey sighed and rolled her eyes good-naturedly at his antics,

“Toni this is Alex, Alex this is Antonio. He owns the bar.” Alex smiled and greeted him,

“Lovely to meet you Toni,” he shook her hand gently but enthusiastically, his eyes flicking between the two of them, noting Casey’s rising blush,

“You too Miss Alex – this may seem an odd question but you don’t happen to be a lawyer in New York by any chance?”

Alex glanced to Casey slightly perplexed before she answered,

“I was actually, in a former life you could say…”

“Toni…”

“I knew it!” he tipped his head to the increasingly mortified Casey, “she used to talk about you all the time you know.”

“Oh, did she now?” Alex turned to Casey with a raised eyebrow, the redhead looking like she wanted the ground to open up beneath her,

“In my defence, Antonio here is the biggest legal drama fan and once he found out I was a lawyer, particularly having worked in New York, he refused to serve me again till I gave him some _appropriate_ war stories,” she desperately hoped Alex would infer that she hadn’t divulged personal details or anything overly salacious. She would never betray the blonde that way, “Which may or may not have included that time you made that banker guy cry on the stand…”

Alex smirked at that particular memory, prosecuting always had given her such a thrill. But then, so did winding up Casey, apparently,

“Did you tell him about that time you indited the US Army?”

Casey turned to her surprised, Alex’s heart stuttered at how bright her eyes shone,

“You heard about that one huh?”

“Please, I was in witsec, not living on Mars.”

Casey flicked her eyes to a slightly astounded looking Antonio,

“Miss Novak you held out on me!”

“Sorry Toni,” Casey really looked anything but contrite, “but then a lot of those stories weren’t mine to tell and you know I had to get you making me those delicious drinks again,” she shot him her best winning smile before she turned her body back to Alex and waved towards Toni with as much grandiose as she could muster, “would you believe me if I said this man made the best Manhattan’s outside of Manhattan?”

Alex laughed lightly at her antics and noticed Antonio’s chest puff up in pride,

“I’d say show me the evidence,” the quirk of her eyebrow was enough to spur Antonio into action as he immediately sets about organising their drinks,

“I promise you, you are in for a treat,” he tipped his head to Casey, “I reserved your usual table but can get a smaller one if you’d prefer something more _intimate_?” the way he darted his eyes to Alex and arched his brow brought a flush to Casey’s cheeks again which did not go unnoticed by the blonde,

“No, no, the usual will do, thank you Toni.”

“Well head on over, I’ll get these brought out to you.” With a parting smile of thanks Casey arched her head for Alex to follow, giving her a small grin as she led them to a booth on the edge of a large dancefloor. There was already a small live band playing and even though it currently just added to the background ambience Alex could tell the musicians were pretty good. Casey watched as Alex slid into the booth whilst taking in the place before speaking again,

“I’m sorry about Toni, he’s a bit of a diva but has a good heart and does make a damn good cocktail.”

Alex smiled back at the nervous redhead a little indulgently,

“He seems lovely, even if he did peg me as a lawyer within thirty seconds. I’ve not had that happen for quite a while,”

Casey matched Alex’s chuckle as she shrugged out of her jacket. She felt her skin tingle where Alex not so subtly cast her eyes along Casey’s freshly exposed arms and shoulders, a satisfying warmth igniting within her at being so openly appraised. If she happened to add an extra stretch and roll of her neck to see what response it drew from the blonde – then sue her, she was only human. The slight flaring of Alex’s nostrils as she settled back into the booth may have only been a small tic, but to Casey it definitely spoke volumes. She cleared her throat to bring Alex’s wandering gaze back to her, her gentle smirk receiving an answering raise of Alex’s chin, almost daring Casey to call her out for her ogling,

“So what exactly was it that you used to say about me? Hmm? When you ‘talked about me all the time’?” Alex crossed her legs and leant forward teasingly, loving how she could immediately make the redhead squirm.

“I honestly didn’t tell him much,” Casey could feel her body responding to Alex’s flirting, she’d always found herself drawn to the other woman but now knowing Alex was at least interested? It was like her pulse jumped every time those blue eyes met hers. She looked to the side before glancing back at Alex with a wink, “although I may have once said there was this gorgeous blonde colleague that I used to have called Alex, wore these killer glasses and was a more of a badass lawyer than I ever was.” She smiled widely as Alex scoffed before she shrugged genuinely, “How he remembered that and put two and two together so quickly is beyond me…”

“Sounds like you left quite the impression.”

“Just like you always do you mean?”

The quickfire flirting from Casey catches Alex unawares and she had to take a moment to stop herself from giggling – ‘seriously?’ she chided herself – _giggling_? – even then she could still feel the corners of lips curl upwards. She turned her face away from Casey’s as she straightened her spine, trying to regain some of her renowned composure, grateful that a server took that moment to deliver their drinks – and, she noted, some additional appetiser dishes.

She picked up one of the tall glasses and raised it in a wordless toast to Casey before taking a sip. Casey grinned at the pleased look that passed across Alex’s face,

“Good right?”

Alex licked her lips, savouring the taste but also feeling that a little thrill at how Casey’s gaze quickly dipped to her mouth, her throat bobbing as she swallowed,

“I’ll admit that is indeed the best Manhattan I’ve had outside of Manhattan,” she shared a laugh with Casey at the parroting of her earlier phrase, taking a further sip before setting the glass down and fixing her with a flirtatious look before adopting a more critical air, “so Toni said this was your usual booth? Does that mean you bring all your first dates here?”

Alex had leant forward, resting her head on one arm as she enjoyed seeing Casey blush and flounder at the sudden topic change. It had been a question Alex had been turning over in her head again and again since Antonio had mentioned it – she had been wondering what Casey’s motivations had been in asking her out the other night, whether it was simply to fulfil an old fantasy for one night of fun, or if, as the small tired at being alone part of her that she tried to keep locked away desperately longed for, maybe Casey had also felt that this could be a chance for something that could possibly, potentially, just maybe, be more?

During an introspective lunch by herself earlier in the day Alex had decided she would be happy either way, more than content to enjoy a night of good company with the gorgeous woman opposite her. But for the first time in a long time that little spark of hope for more had taken hold. So if, as it currently seemed, Casey was simply following the motions of a usual ‘wine’em and dine’em’ routine Alex wished to know, It was a habit she herself had used over the years when needing to scratch an itch and would by no means judge. She knew Casey was smart enough to understand her line of questioning and what she might infer from any answer and Alex couldn’t help but grin, unable to maintain her faux-serious as Casey shifted in her seat and avoided looking at her for several moments.

Seeing Alex smile reassured Casey enough for her to shakily exhale, fixing the blonde with a glare for having made her squirm so before relenting. Sitting back against the booth she raised one of her arms along the back of it as she gave a small honest shrug,

“Actually, you’re the only date I’ve ever brought here.”

Alex’s heart quickened, a happy warmth suffusing through her that she tried to play off by running her finger around the edge of her drink, as she looked up at Casey through her eyelashes.

“Oh?”

Casey grinned at Alex’s attempt at nonchalance, taking in how the blonde seemed to relax and brighten despite her apparent disinterest,

“Yeah, actually I’m pretty protective of this place usually,” she turned her head to take in the bar and grinned at the memory of so many different nights out with her friends that had been shared. She noticed Alex had followed her eyes and so tipped her chin to the band that was playing, “they’re the best in the area so the whole place gets pretty packed out over the weekend. My friend Penelope was roommates with the drummer in college and he introduced us to Toni,” at the mention of the exuberant owner Casey couldn’t help but softly grin, a look Alex found so endearing she realised she was smiling back just as warmly, “He does a lot of work with a LGBT+ youth charity and I offered to help with some of their paperwork, we became friends after that.”

She looked up at held Alex’s eyes as she shrugged casually, “So yep, it’s one of my favourite places, tend to come here for special occasions mostly,”

Alex’s quirked her eyebrow at Casey as she settled back with her drink, taking a long sip as she looked her up and down as if trying to size her up,

“Special occasions you say?”

Casey held her look and smirked back confidently, the longer she spent with Alex like this, flirty relaxed and with her undivided attention, the more at ease she found herself. She adored Alex’s smiles and looks and how when she looked at Casey, she seemed to really see her. Her word choice had been deliberate and she’d known a lawyer of Alex’s calibre would have picked up on it, she just hoped Alex understood what this date, what this night, actually meant to her,

“You wouldn’t call this special?” she hid her lingering vulnerability under her usual veneer of sass and apparent confidence. the slight challenging tilt to her chin and slow exhale the only real indicators to Alex that Casey did actually think their date merited the effort. It made the butterflies that had set up shop in her stomach fly higher and swoop lower. Her only answer to Casey was to smile coyly once more, her head almost swaying lightly as she smugly settled in her seat. Casey could easily read the pleased gleam in Alex’s blue eyes though and couldn’t help herself. Sitting up straight she sighed heavily,

“Of course, my usual dates don’t have to live up to the standards of Trevor Langan…”

Alex was immediately outraged that Casey would even dare to mention that defence lawyer’s name. She picked the straw from her drink and used it to petulantly flick droplets at the now chuckling Casey,

“It was one time! One date and no one has ever let me forget it!” the whine in her voice was clear and combined with yet another display of childishness made Casey tip her head back in open laughter. After wiping the traces of Alex’s drink from her face and arm Casey leant in close, giving the sulking blonde her most arrogant of smirks,

“From all accounts Alex it was you in that red dress that no one could seem to forget…”

Alex was hit with an overwhelming urge to kiss the damn smug smile off of the charming redhead’s face and became too overwhelmed to think up a signature witty retort. Instead she feigned a huff and took another deep drink of her cocktail. Although Casey’s widening grin told her that her attempts at indifference were continuing to be entirely unsuccessful.

***

The next several hours passed in much the same manner, both of them enjoying the flirting, teasing and just honest to god interesting conversation that made it feel like only minutes had passed. If it weren’t for the regular drinks and small side dishes sent over by Toni, Casey would genuinely have struggled to say how much time had gone. Speaking with Alex just came so easily, and having her undivided attention had been like a soothing balm to her soul as much as it had gotten her worked up and wanting more.

They’d found a surprising number of things in common to talk about without even having to bring up work – something Casey had been a little nervous about – but it turned out Alex liked to sail and had been interested to hear how Casey used to go out on the boat and fish with her father and brothers. Both loved to travel, although Alex had obviously been much further afield and Casey’s heart ached as she heard the underlying tiredness which was layered in Alex’s voice when she talked of how long it had been since she’d been home, or even have somewhere to call home. She’d kept her apartment in New York for sure, but admitted to not spending more than six consecutive days in it for going on nearly three years. Alex in turn had been highly entertained when Casey unexpectedly let it slip that she loved to read the romantic classics and found her fondness for the redhead growing exponentially when she went on a particularly passionate tirade about how Buchanan had had many similarly irredeemable features as the inexcusable Mr Collins.

The live band finally got into full swing as the later evening crowd started to file in. The music was infectious, and Alex thought her first impression and Casey’s endorsement of them had indeed been correct; the beat was like a salsa but with a heavier base and Alex was subconsciously swaying to it as she continued to chat and simply admire how gorgeous Casey looked when she talked so animatedly with her hands.

The dancefloor was beginning to fill up so both women jumped when Antonio suddenly reappeared at their table, his approach having been shielded by the mass of moving bodies. He immediately set about admonishing Casey with a gleefully teasing look in his eyes,

“Miss Casey you have the most beautiful woman in the room with you and you don’t have her up dancing? Do you want my business to fail! I thought we were friends mi’amor!” Alex laughed at his overtures whilst Casey grumbled,

“Nice try Toni, but you know I won’t dance yet.”

Alex chuckled at the friends obviously ribbing at each other, looking at Casey to get her to explain. The redhead blushed at Alex’s scrutiny before quietly coming clean,

“I usually need to have a few more drinks before I have the courage to dance, or for the floor to be busier, it’s ironically easier to not have to worry about tripping over then…” Alex could see that Casey was genuinely embarrassed at her nervousness so reached across to hold her hand,

“That’s okay Case, I don’t mind waiting till later…”

“Nonsense!” Antonio’s cry was accompanied with an overdramatic clutching of his broad chest, “Miss Alex, if you wish to dance now you must let me insist!”

He flamboyantly dropped to one knee, his head lowered and arm offered out for Alex to take. His theatrics make her laugh delightedly but she still looked over to Casey to see if she minded were she to go dance. The redhead could only roll her eyes at Antonio’s dramatics and agreed with a wave of her hand that was obviously a ‘by all means’ invitation. Alex accepted Antonio’s hand gleefully and to a small cheer of those nearby who had seen the poor man on his knees waiting for a response. Smiling bashfully Alex let him whisk her onto the dancefloor, easily falling into the pulsing rhythm of the music and the long-forgotten samba steps that her body seemed to still somehow recall. She quickly sent a mental thank you to her mother for making her go to those insufferable dance classes when younger.

Casey was taken aback at how sultry Alex’s dancing was. Antonio was obviously doing his best to show her off once he had realised she was vaguely competent, but there was an elegance and energy to how they moved which was so distinctly Alex. As the song built to its crescendo Antonio twirled Alex out and back to him before he dipped her, making the blonde laugh giddily. Casey couldn’t help but roll her eyes and wish that she was confident enough to do so too – but with more class… obviously, but she felt the happiness of Alex’s laugh fly over the music and settle in her own chest, adding to the already overfull feeling that had taken root there the past week.

She watched on as the two of them continued to draw other people’s attention – indeed they made a striking pair – both on the dancefloor and off it. But Antonio always kept his hands respectfully placed and Casey could see how he took the time to talk to Alex now and again throughout the dancing, checking in with her but also no doubt trying to suss out what her intentions towards Casey might be if Alex’s coy smile and light slap to his chest as she glanced over to catch Casey’s eye was anything to go by. After a couple of songs had passed a server made their way over to Antonio to call him back to the bar, Casey watched as he gently raised Alex’s hand to his lips and then bowed dramatically to her in thanks for the dance.

As he moved away Casey lost sight of Alex in the crowd, when the next song started up the blonde was no longer where she had been stood and it made Casey sit up in concern. She started searching more purposefully – looking from one side of the dancefloor to another – but the darkened lights, which had been so beneficial to the earlier intimate setting, were now not helping her discern between moving bodies. Casey could feel herself getting more anxious the longer Alex was out of her sight. With a relieved but shaky exhale Casey suddenly spotted Alex’s identifiable blonde hair at the far side of the dancefloor where a hopeful but overly eager man seemed to be trying to encourage her to dance with him, having the gall to try and pull her by the arm towards him.

Without even thinking about it Casey was already making her way through the busy crowd and was at Alex’s side within moments. She touched the blonde at the waist, whilst sending the douchebag – because let’s be honest, he seemed like a douchebag – her deadliest of glares.

The would-be suitor blanched at the ferocious looks he was getting from both women and immediately backed away with his arms raised in retreat as he melted anonymously back into the crowd. After ensuring he really had gone Casey turned to face Alex looking apologetic, having to step in close to her in order to be heard over the music,

“I’m sorry Al, I know you had it in hand,” she suddenly became conscious of just how close she was to Alex, she’d never taken her hand back from where it rested on Alex’s waist and the heat of the physical contact caused Casey’s pulse to thunder in her ears. From the way Alex’s throat bobbed as her eyes heavily met Casey’s she could tell she wasn’t entirely unaffected by their sudden proximity either,

“No need to apologise, it’s always nice to know you have a knight in shining armour around,” Alex stepped ever so slightly closer and reached for Casey’s hand, “besides it got you out on the dancefloor with me so…”

Casey chuckled breathily as Alex took the lead and started dancing, Casey’s body automatically following the movements and direction that Alex took them in,

“Silver linings I suppose…”

“Very much so, now is dancing with me really so terrible?” the now familiar flirtatious challenging look was back in Alex’s eyes and Casey felt herself falling deeper into their blue depths, only looking away when Alex ambitiously went to twirl her. Casey managed to not disgrace herself by tripping but does find herself suddenly pressed even more closely against Alex when the spin finished. With a start she realised this was probably the most and the longest physical contact she’d ever had with Alex, which given how long they’d known each other, how long Casey had had a crush on her, was a little ridiculous.

The sudden hyper-awareness of what she was currently doing – dancing, with Alex Cabot – hit Casey and she could feel herself tightening up self-consciously as she overthought the movements. Worried that she would trample on Alex with her boots Casey’s eyes dropped and she became glued to watching her feet to make sure she was doing the right steps.

“Come on Case, just stop looking at your feet,” Casey blushed as in looking up at Alex’s command meant she couldn’t help but rake her eyes up the other woman’s body. She tried desperately not to linger too long on in looking at her waist, and how her hand looked placed just so over her hip, or the neckline of her navy wrap dress and how it dipped-

“Maybe try a little higher there…” Alex’s dry smirk was evident in her tone, and Casey swallowed at having been caught looking. Garnering her courage though she finally caught Alex’s bemused smile,

“Sorry,” Casey couldn’t help but apologise bashfully, her cheeks flushed scarlet and her mouth ran completely dry. Alex found Casey’s sudden coyness far too adorable, particularly as it meant she had discernible first-hand, up-close proof of the effect that she had on the redhead. Plus, Alex could feel her own body react from the other woman’s attention, her desire for further contact between them ratcheting higher with each moment.

Still successfully leading them around the dancefloor Alex gently pulled Casey in against her, close enough that they could both feel the movements of the others’ body against their own. Delicious momentary friction and heat where they would press together and part. With her pulse rising Alex realised she was able to lean forward and talk quietly into Casey’s ear.

“Don’t be sorry,” she could feel the shiver that ran up Casey’s spine as her breath ghosted over the shell of her ear, “I like that you can’t keep your eyes off me Novak.”

She pulled back a little, putting just enough space between them that she could look at Casey’s face once more, delighting in the confident smile that now met her - charging the energy and tension between them even more. Casey now was looking Alex squarely in the eyes, taking in how sultry and dark the familiar blue irises had gotten,

“Oh you do, do you?”

Out of nervous habit Casey bit her lower lip, just for a moment. Alex’s eyes immediately dropped to her lips causing Casey’s breath to hitch. With her gaze flicking quickly between Casey’s lips and her eyes several times Alex stilled their feet, she lightly cupped Casey’s jaw with one hand and brought their faces closer. They were practically sharing the same breath and the heat and focus became untenable. Still seeing that Casey was distracted by her lips Alex couldn’t help but give another salacious smile.

Slowly, oh so slowly, she leaned forward. Casey’s eyes lasered in on her own as she closed the last distance between them, but Alex watched them flutter shut instinctively just before hers also drifted closed and she was finally able to press her lips to Casey’s. It was soft. It was sweet. It was totally electrifying.

Alex pulled away, a very satisfied grin breaking across her face as she took in Casey who was lost enough in the feeling that it took her a moment or two longer to open her eyes. Seeing Alex looking so pleased with herself and still on a high from being kissed by _Alex effing Cabot_ , Casey couldn’t help but giggle making Alex laugh herself.

Emboldened Casey stepped in closer, pressing their bodies together again and resting the side of her head against Alex’s, simply enjoying the moment and the new development between them. The blonde still carefully led them around the dancefloor, although it was getting harder as the bar got busier, filling with people who were out for a good time. Still, Alex felt like she was in her own little bubble with Casey, aware of things around her but perfectly content with focussing on the wonderful woman in her arms. She smiled quietly to herself as Casey continued to follow her lead with ease,

“I should’ve known really.”

“Known what?” Casey practically purred against her, the usual low timbre of her voice all the more emphasised,

"All it took was a kiss from a pretty girl and your footwork now rivals Ginger Rodgers’.”

Casey tilted her head back with a pealing laugh,

“Alex!” she fixed the flirtatious blonde a look, “I agree my footwork has improved enough that your toes are no longer in mortal peril,” she cocked her head to the side as if in thought, “but I don’t know if pretty is the right word to describe you?

Alex couldn’t help but play along,  
  
“No? What would you describe me as then?” the corner of her eyebrow flicked upwards to challenge Casey.

“Beautiful,” the redhead responded without hesitation, leaning in to skate the tip of her nose along Alex’s defined jaw causing her to freeze in place, even as her stomach erupted in butterflies once again. She could feel Casey grin at her sudden stillness and place a kiss at the exposed juncture of her neck and shoulder,

“Stunning,” Casey’s hands were now slowly and tantalisingly running up Alex’s arms, coming to rest on the tops of her shoulders. She placed another kiss further up her neck not knowing how each press of her lips was making Alex melt and burn on the inside,

“Exquisite,” followed by another kiss in quick succession,

“Utterly wonderful,” the sweet talking and feel of Casey’s lips on the sensitive skin of her neck made Alex exhale deeply and instinctively tip her head away to increase the amount of room Casey had to work with. However, Casey retreated and Alex opened her eyes to watch as the redhead trailed one of her hands down from her shoulder and across her collar bone, grinning at the goosebumps that erupted under her touch. She fixed Alex with her best smoulder and then pressed their foreheads together,

“ _Sexy,”_ Casey’s voice was a hushed whisper but Alex heard it thunder through her right to her core, the slow building heat and tension that had been increasing between them since she saw Casey again suddenly burning to the surface of her consciousness. She ducked her head forward, intent to catch Casey in a deeper kiss this time, but their lips had only begun to break against the others when the found themselves nearly knocked sideways by a jostling couple who were deludedly attempting a routine as if they were on dancing with the stars.

Casey had caught Alex by the hand to steady her after the initial contact and used it now to bring the blonde woman close to her again,

“You okay?” she was running her gaze across Alex with evident concern, on the lookout for any injury. Alex let out a huff at being interrupted but was quick to reassure,

“Yes I’m good,” she squeezed Casey’s hand in thanks for catching her and both of them just looked into the others’ eyes for several moments. They’d kissed. Casey had very clearly stated her interest and Alex had wanted her to continue kissing her, kissing her neck, her lips. The skin on her chest still tingled where Casey had brushed against it so gently and Alex knew she wanted more.

Alex swallowed thickly before glancing around them realising they were now caught in the middle of a writhing mass of dancing bodies,

“Wow when did it get so packed?!”

Her comment made Casey start and look around her, suddenly she too became aware of the press and suffocating heat of the large numbers of inebriated people swarming around them. She turned to Alex with a cheeky smirk and overexaggerated quirk of her eyebrow,

“You want to get out of here?”

Alex sized her up for just a moment before grinning wildly and dragging her by their still connected hands back to their booth. Mentally thanking Antonio for having placed such an obvious reserved sign on it. She scooped up her handbag and passed Casey her leather jacket without a word. It was Casey’s turn to lead them now, and she wove back to the bar with practised ease to wave down their host,

“Toni! We’re going to head-off now,” she had to almost yell over the bustle of people and increasingly thumping music to be heard, “can you let me know the tab total?”

Antonio couldn’t help but smirk at his friend,

“Casey, do you see how busy it is! It’s because you brought this beautiful creature to my bar,” he leaned over to give a laughing Alex a flamboyant kiss on the cheek in farewell. He turned to Casey and tried to wave her off, “so no, nothing to settle up, you take this beauty home.” Casey rolled her eyes,

“Antonio no I can’t accept that! Please you must let me pay up.”

“Not a chance!” he darted his arms away as Casey tried to hand him some notes – definitely more than the tab would have been, even with a tip – which made Alex chortle,

“Fine!” Casey glared at him intensely before grabbing a nearby tip jar and huffily stuffing the cash into it. He rolled his eyes at her and threw up his hands in exasperation to which the redhead crossed her arms in silent challenge. He sighed knowing he was not going to win, instead he turned his head to the side and tapped his cheek. Grinning again Casey leant over the bar to give his trendily unshaved cheek a quick kiss,

“Thank you Toni, it’s been a great night,”

“Oh yeah I saw…” he couldn’t help but tease Casey one last time, and the way she blushed and looked at Alex made the blonde’s cheeks warm too. He waved Casey off, his attention already being called away to the far side of the bar, “now you come back here again soon okay?”

“I always do.”

***

They decided to walk back to Alex’s hotel as it was not too far – neither wanting the night to end and enjoying the cool breeze after the heat of dancing in such a close press of bodies. At some point Casey put her jacket back on – shrugging into the soft leather in such a way that her biceps flexed and a hint of her lower stomach was evident just as her arms were raised. The teasing glimpse made Alex shiver and Casey immediately offered her the jacket instead thinking that she must be cold but Alex just shook her head coyly and walked a little closer to her instead. They don’t quite hold hands but bump shoulders regularly enough that Alex eventually just looped her arm through Casey’s as they meandered along. Casey pointed out various places along the way but they were mostly quiet, enjoying the frisson of emotional tension that was building ever higher between them.

Finally finding themselves on the same road as Alex’s hotel Casey slowed their walking pace even further as they approached. Turning with a teasing smile Alex lightly took both of Casey’s hands in her own. She tried to tug Casey along, stepping backwards as she went, just looking into Casey’s eyes, the want and unspoken question shining clearly in them. Eventually she came to rest against the corner of the hotel building, a quiet and slightly more private spot where she felt comfortable enough to pull Casey flush to her causing the redhead to grin smugly as Alex pulled her in so their hips were aligned, both inhaling sharply at the contact. Casey followed the momentum and only stopped when her face was inches from Alex’s. She could feel Alex’s light panting breath against her own lips, practically taste the perfume on Alex’s skin and she revelled in it. Alex couldn’t bear waiting any longer and so snaked a hand round Casey’s waist, slipping under the open side of her jacket, and used her other hand to gently cup the redhead’s jaw, encouraging her to close the final tiny distance between their lips.

They meet heatedly. If their kiss earlier in the club was notable for its sweetness this kiss now was the edification of lustful want. Casey immediately sucked Alex’s lower lip between her own and ran the very tip of her tongue along its length, the moan it pulled from Alex was positively filthy and Casey abandoned any attempt to be suave or any concern she had about technique and gave in to her most basic instinct to take and taste. Alex couldn’t believe the fervour in which Casey licked into her mouth as she pinned her more firmly against the wall. Whimpering at how good it felt as Casey continued to kiss her so wantonly, changing the angle of how their mouths met again and again as she barely let Alex catch her breath.

Alex lost herself under the heat of the kiss. She used her arms to pull Casey more bodily to her, the redhead stepping into the last space between Alex’s legs. The blonde raised her other hand from Casey’s jaw to grip her loose hair instead, trying to ground herself as Casey’s kisses tore apart any other sense she had.

A particularly sharp nip on her kiss swollen lower lip caused Alex to jerk and instinctively her grip in Casey’s hair tightened causing the redhead to move her head with a gasp to go with the motion. The apology was already forming on Alex’s tongue when Casey’s hips rolled against her centre and the blonde found the other woman was looking at with a new level of intensity. Her pupils so blown with lust and arousal her normal green eyes matched the dark tones of the jacket she wore.

Both of them were panting and just looking at each other, Alex felt she would combust under the heat of the gaze as Casey’s eyes roamed across her face and dropped to her heaving chest. Neither said a word as they both drank the other in.

Finally breaking the spell Casey dropped her head forward to the crook of Alex’s neck, her forehead resting on her shoulder as she fought to get her own breathing under control. Alex ran her hand down Casey’s neck to rest on her shoulder as she tried to gather herself. She had to wet her lips twice before she could speak, her blood still thrumming across her whole body,

“Please Case, will you come up with me?” she continued to lightly run her hand up Casey’s back under her jacket, daring to slide it further under Casey’s shirt, shivering at the contact of skin on skin as she traced patterns there with the tips of her long fingers.

Casey let out a small groan, pressing her forehead more firmly into Alex’s shoulder before starting to place small kisses up her long neck. Alex responded immediately, arching her head away to give the other woman more room to lavish upon. Lost in the sensations Casey kissed quickly along her jaw and Alex instinctively dipped her head to capture the torturously talented lips with her own once more. Casey lets her for a moment before pulling back just slightly, resting their heads together and keeping her eyes closed,

“Oh God Al,” she was breathless, almost as if she’d just sprinted a mile, her usually husky voice a low rumble “I want to, so badly.” She suddenly leant back, forcing her head far enough away from the addicting temptation to keep kissing Alex’s skin, but not so far that the blonde had to break her hold.

Alex was confused at the sudden cool air passing over her overheated chest. She had to swallow and wet her lips several times before she was able to talk once more,

“But?”

“But I can’t,” Casey was standing more upright now, her hands falling from where she’d been gripping Alex and easing the press of her hips against Alex’s core as she righted herself. Alex’s head tipped back against the wall for a moment as she groaned in frustration,

“What?! Why?”

Casey tipped her chin back down with a gentle hand, making sure Alex was focusing on her,

“Because I want you so goddamn much. Because this has been one of the best nights of my life let alone the best date I’ve ever been on or kiss I’ve ever had. Because I don’t want just the one night…” She shot Alex the sweetest of smiles and ran the back of her hand gently from Alex’s brow to the elegant line of her jaw, “because I don’t want to rush this.”

Alex was immediately torn – completely smitten by Casey’s admission and downright adorableness whilst still being so intensely turned on and wet, wanting nothing more than to drag the other woman to her bed right at that moment to ease the burning desire that was twisting within her,

“Rush?!” her incredulity was clear, “Casey it has taken us years to get here!” She was still panting lightly but had eased her hold on Casey’s body in an attempt to try to get her rampant libido under some semblance of control once more.

A light teasing laugh escaped from Casey as she tucked some of Alex’s hair back into place from where either the wall or Casey’s own hand had mussed it,

“That may be so, but what’s another night or two when we’ve already waited years, hmm?”

Alex chuckled exasperatedly at the other woman’s resolve and attempted logic. She leant forward and lightly thumped her head against Casey’s shoulder a couple of times as the redhead continued to giggle,

“You are so infuriating.” she muttered into the soft leather of Casey’s jacket.

“Thank you. Normally you would say it’s one of my best features.”

That got Alex to laugh properly, she leant her head back to give one last mock glare into Casey’s shining eyes before letting go of her fully and pushing off from the wall, brusquely brushing down the creases in her dress to allow her a further moment to gather herself properly. Suddenly shy she went to fiddle with her glasses before catching herself and tucking some more of her hair behind her ear instead as she glanced down at her feet,

“Well if you are sure?”

Seeing Alex so uncertain of herself made Casey ache, a loud voice in her head stating how wholly unacceptable it was of her to leave the blonde so vulnerable. She reached down and took Alex’s hands in her own and kissed them gently,

“Sweetie,” the term of endearment immediately reminded Alex of how Liv would reassure her in the past and she instantly relaxed in an almost Pavlovian response. Casey noticed the change in Alex’s posture and continued, “I just think we’re better talking a little more before we get too carried away, which we will if I go anywhere near that hotel door with you right now.”

Her smirk elicited a matching one across Alex’s features. Confidence restored, Alex stepped into Casey’s space once more and lightly draped her arms over the other woman’s shoulder, enjoying that Casey’s own hands were at once wrapped around her hips once more, one of them perilously close to cupping Alex’s ass,

“So, when are you next free for this chat then?” Her gaze was smouldering and Casey loved it. She grinned widely,

“Actually, I’ve got one thing on tomorrow morning but could be free for brunch?”

Alex laughed at how obviously keen Casey was,

“Tomorrow?! I thought you were the one who didn’t want to ‘rush’!?”

“Eh, it’s a technicality at most. Rush is a vague term, I think I’d win that argument.”

Alex couldn’t help but laugh joyfully, she adored how carefree and comfortable Casey now was around her,

“Well counsellor, I have no doubt you would,” she dipped her head forward to press a gentle kiss against Casey’s lips once more, “brunch tomorrow sounds good, just tell me where and when.”

Humming happily Casey stepped back and led them from their secluded spot towards the hotel entranceway. Once standing in the light, she tucked another wayward strand of Alex’s hair behind her ear before giving her one final chaste kiss for the night,

“I will do Al, thank you for a wonderful night,” in the brighter lighting Alex can see how tousled and flushed the redhead was and couldn’t help but smirk,

“Goodnight Casey,” she dipped forward for a kiss against Casey’s cheek, not trusting herself to try kiss her lips without then demanding she follow Alex up to her room. Instead, she backed away still smiling widely and gave a distinctive teasing arch of her brow “I’ll see you tomorrow. I hope you have sweet dreams.”

She laughed as she heard Casey muttering curses to herself at Alex’s parting flirtation as the blonde walked away from her. Whilst the night may not be ending quite how she envisaged Alex was fairly certain she was going to enjoy envisioning it by herself till the early hours anyway…


	4. Brunch time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey and Alex meet up following their first date - a fruitful conversation ensues...
> 
> Fair warning smuttiness ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! I thought it about time to give you the next update. Obviously Casey and Alex's relationship is developing fairly quickly here but hopefully it feels well paced enough.
> 
> Thank you all for your enthusiastic comments and kudos, hope this lives up to your expectations!

For once, Casey was actually early when she got to the café she’d arranged to meet Alex at. She was also doubly pleased with herself given that she’d managed to shower and change and still get there ahead of schedule and bag – in her opinion – the best little table in the corner. From her vantage point she could see the whole room, her eyes flicking over the different movements and bustling of the late Saturday morning crowd – a bit too early for the true mimosa brunch rowdiness but a little later than the early morning rush. Casey was nervous though, she could feel the unmistakable antsy-ness tingling through her and so tried to calm the heavy twisting feeling in her stomach by watching the practiced movements of the barista going through the process of grinding beans, tamping down the coffee in the portafilter and the comforting hiss of the steamer for the milk. It all reminded her of her days waiting tables and working in coffee shops during law school and the familiarity of it helped distract her from the fact that her leg was still bouncing anxiously and her pulse racing as she waited to see Alex again.

Even just consciously thinking of the gorgeous blonde sent her mind reeling, running through the memories of the night before like a slideshow, already tinged with an ethereal dreamlike quality. Part of her still couldn’t believe she’d actually kissed Alex. She, Casey Novak, had actually kissed Alex Cabot… and pinned her up against a wall and practically ground against her, and kissed her neck, tasted her skin…

The memory caused a visceral reaction within Casey whose nostrils flared as her eyes tightly closed, having to pull her shoulders back to relieve the tension that was settling low in her gut for what felt like the thousandth time since she’d woken up after a few hours of fitful sleep, too keyed up to get any real rest.

Deciding that the bouncing of her leg was less embarrassing than getting lost in her less than innocent thoughts of Alex whilst sat in public, Casey checked her watch once more, noting that even though a few minutes had passed it was still several minutes till the agreed meeting time. She almost unconsciously twisted and tore at the corner of a napkin as she looked over to the door once again, biting her lip when she spotted a hint of blonde hair through the glass. Her heart rate spiked further as it was followed by a familiarly elegant long arm that braced the door open as a harried mother tried to wrangle a stroller and toddler past her with a grateful smile.

And just like that Alex was finally there stood in the café, looking as chic and put together as always and Casey couldn’t take her eyes off her. She jerked out of the chair she’d been sitting in as Alex turned to scope out the room and the way her face lit up – full blinding, knee weakening smile on show as she met Casey’s gaze - stole her breath away even as she felt an answering cheek-splitting grin break across her own face.

It felt like she’d only just blinked and then Alex was there in front of her and pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek in greeting, catching the very corner of her lip and totally overwhelming Casey’s senses as she lost herself again in Alex’s intoxicating presence. Flashes of the night before flew through her mind’s eye suddenly so much more vibrant and intense than the previous countless times she’d revisited them. Alex continued to lightly smirk knowingly at the dazed redhead as she hung her bag and jacket over the back of the chair, eventually having to touch Casey on the arm to get her to focus,

“Have you ordered?”

“Hmm?” Casey was aware that Alex’s lips had moved but the tingling heat of her skin where the blonde’s hand had touched her arm had distracted her once again. With a laugh Alex motioned to their table and back to the counter,

“Can I get you a coffee? Seems like you could use the caffeine – late night?” The teasing spark in her blue eyes caused Casey to narrow her own accusingly at the woman in front of her,

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” In all honesty Casey hoped she hadn’t been the only one who had been tossing and turning giddily all night and from the knowing twinkle in Alex’s eye she got the impression that the blonde had at least been slightly affected by their date the night before.

With a quick sly grin Casey returned to her seat, “Although I did have an early start too, so coffee would be great thank you.”

“What’s your poison?”

“Nothing fancy, just a black coffee will do.” The way Alex scrunched up her nose in disgust made Casey smile even more broadly, “Not a fan?”

“Too much bad office or precinct coffee over the years,” Casey chuckled knowingly at that, “I stick to tea or very particular coffee orders now…” Alex knew how stuck-up her admission could come across but a quick glance down to Casey’s almost endearing expression allowed her to relax. Scooping her purse off the chair she couldn’t help but smile at Casey again, “Okay, I’ll be back in just a minute,” as she turned and walked to the counter she could feel Casey’s gaze on her. It took nearly all of Alex’s considerable will-power to not turn on the spot and catch the redhead looking, there was only so much teasing she could tolerate before she resorted to simply dragging Casey out of there.

Watching Alex walk away from her was a form of torturous pleasure Casey decided, but one she would be happy to experience again and again so long as she knew Alex would come back.

And come back she did, looking even more captivating as she glided back towards Casey, with a quietly confident smile and tilt to her jaw when she caught Casey not so unsubtly checking her out as she returned to their table, than she had walking away. Having to swallow due to the way her mouth was suddenly watering Casey automatically accepted the menu being offered to her although she gave it nary a glance, the thought of trying to eat anything whilst her stomach twisted and churned with nerves and excitement and arousal was more than she could cope with.

The one thing she did notice though was that Alex seemed similarly nervous, although as usual the blonde seemed to even do being slightly on edge with elegance and charm. Sensing the nervousness between them Alex tried to distract them and motioned to the how Casey was toying with the menu in her hand,

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted food or if you’d eaten at whatever it was that you were having to do at the crack of dawn this morning,”

They paused briefly as a server set down their drinks, Casey sending Alex a smirk as a full ensemble of teapot, cup and saucer and milk jug got set down in front of her whilst she received a simple singular mug in turn.

“Unfortunately no, plenty of arguing and paperwork but there was no refreshments available. I did manage a quick breakfast before I went though, you know,” she shrugged and grinned a little slyly as she caught Alex’s eyes, “to keep my strength up.”

Alex fussed with getting her tea poured – how she’d managed to convince them to provide her with proper china was beyond Casey but then again, she knew by now that Alex was one of those people who could get what she wanted without necessarily having to try too hard, which made her anxiousness about their current situation all the more pronounced.

“What sort of early morning torture were you partaking in that had paperwork but no pastries?”

Casey couldn’t help but get a little embarrassed, chuckling as she looked around her as if for a way to escape,

“Would you believe me if I said it was a committee meeting for the local peewee baseball league?”

Alex paused incredulously with her teacup just pressed against her lower lip, Casey could see how the tendrils of steam fogged up the lenses of her glasses although it didn’t veil the amused glint to her blue eyes as they held Casey’s,

“I hadn’t realised that was still a thing in this day and age.”

“Of course it’s a thing! Baseball is the nation’s favourite past-time after all”

Alex had known her comment would wind up Casey but found the redhead’s passion for the sport entirely too endearing and so decided to keep up her light hearted teasing for now. She ensured her cup was delicately placed back in the centre of her saucer before continuing, perching her elbow on the table edge so she could rest her chin on her hand and lean forward a little, Casey subconsciously also leant closer over the table in turn,

“So how did you get yourself so involved in upholding such a noble tradition?”

Even though she knew the blonde was purposefully winding her up Casey could just about tell that Alex’s curiosity was also genuine and so relaxed a little,

“When I moved here I was looking for a local club to use for some batting cages – helps with the stresses of work you know,” Alex dipped her head to indeed acknowledge she was very well aware of the stresses of her former line of work, “I was there one evening and ran into an old college team-mate. After being _horrified_ that she was now there for her daughter’s little league she talked me into helping out with their batting,” Casey shrugged at the downright adorable smile Alex was now giving her, “before I knew it I was on their teams coaching roster, a year later I was elected-,” Casey rolled her eyes as Alex scoffed, “-yes, _elected_ , to the league’s organising committee.”

Alex continued to look at her, humour shining clearly in her eyes which prompted Casey to further defend herself, “Before you decide to mock me Miss Cabot, you should know that the Miami little league political scene could give New York’s congressional run-offs a run for their money,” she barely suppressed a shiver as Alex laughed,

“I have to admit I hadn’t appreciated that children’s sport would be quite so,” she rolled her hand gently in front of her as she searched for the right word, “bureaucratically evolved.”

“With work I can’t always commit to coaching every week during season, but this way I’m able to make sure there are actually appropriate rules in place and use the cages whenever I need.”

Alex just took a moment to take in how sweet Casey really was, not only in giving up some of her -obviously preciously scarce - free time for something for others, but also just in how obvious it was that Casey _cared_ and took simple enjoyment in the sport.

“You really are something you know? They’re lucky to have you here.”

The praise and softness of Alex’s look made Casey blush and look down at the tabletop bashfully. She took to sweeping the small shreds of napkin into a little pile with one of her thumbs.

“It’s funny,” Alex’s words caused Casey’s head to lift, her eyebrows raised in anticipation of whatever observation or question Alex could have come up with, “in all of our conversations over the past few days I still don’t know the story of how you came to be here of all places.” The elegant blonde was genuinely curious, but cautious in case her enquiry wasn’t necessary a happy tale – an all-too-common scenario for New York ADAs that had found their way to Florida in the past.

“It was a bit of an accident if I’m honest.” Casey shrugged and took a sip of her coffee, smiling to herself at how Alex unconsciously copied her motions with her cup of tea, “New York started to just really grind me down and I needed a break. I thought somewhere like Florida was about as far away from it all that I could stomach. Came down on a little recce trip and to surf a bit -,” Casey preened a little in how Alex’s eyes had widened a little in respectful surprise, “and met with the new State Attorney – Jerome Adams? He was at Harvard around the same time as you I think?”

Gently stirring her refreshed tea with a spoon simply to keep her hands occupied Alex nodded as she looked thoughtful, “Yes, I remember the name – not my year or crowd but I knew his now wife Tanya a little.”

“Well, he offered me as good a deal as I could’ve hoped given that Brady violation on my record, and so I decided to stay for a bit, enjoy the sun sea and sand and all that…, I don’t think it’ll be forever but it’s worked well for me for now,” Casey ran her eyes slowly up and down Alex’s body at that, with enough flirtatious heat in her gaze to cause the blonde to blush. To try cover up just how affected she was by simply being in Casey’s presence she went to run her hand through her hair, but only got a third of the way down before her fingers hit a snag,

“I agree it has its charms but I mean, I’ve been here for just over a week and my hair is so dry and frizzy it is driving me insane!”

The pout and whine that Alex adopted was not an expression Casey ever thought she’d see on the normally serious and stoically striking face, but she found it utterly adorable,

“Oh no totally, I hated it so bad I was actually booked in for a major hairstyle change, it was at the salon that I actually met my friend Penelope,” Casey shook her head whilst still smiling, “that woman changes her hair as often the rest of us change bedsheets. She took one look at me and wrote down the name of this deep moisturising hair mask stuff which makes a world of difference. I went back to the hairdressers the week after just to get her details and take her to coffee as a thank you.”

Casey’s laughter was infectious and Alex’s heart fluttered at the sight in front of her, 

“I might just have to get some of that stuff too, seeing as I’m to be here a little while at least…”

“Yeah, so about that.”

“Yes?”

“So…”

“Yes, so…”

Alex ended up chuckling at Casey’s sudden caginess,

“So last night was…” she looked to the side before licking her lower lip, a slow grin emerging as she glanced back to Casey, “… more than good…”

Casey couldn’t help but bask in the praise, a bashful but slightly smug grin appearing on her face that Alex recognised from when she would win a particularly tough argument in court.

“Good enough to worth exploring further?”

Sitting up straight, Alex held Casey’s gaze even as she moved her cup and saucer around in front of her to mask her nervousness,

“Naturally,” she dipped her head as she hesitantly reached over to caress Casey’s stilled fingers before retreating back to her side of the table, “I genuinely haven’t had such an enjoyable evening with someone in… god I don’t know how long.” Her sheepish but honest admission makes Casey smile softly in turn, “But I’ll be honest, I haven’t… _dated_ someone properly in years as I’ve been constantly on the move and that it’s _you_ is both the most wonderful thing but also what is making me pause right now.”

Casey tried to hide how much of an emotional rollercoaster she was finding Alex’s little speech was taking her on,

“What is it that’s making you think twice?” Casey had taken her arms off the table completely and seemed to shrink in on herself slightly. From the way Alex felt her stomach drop she knew she’d already made her decision, she just needed to explain it through and hope Casey came to the same conclusion,

“Because it’s you Casey. We can’t ignore the fact there is a lot of shared history here, _complex_ shared history, and shared friends and all the rest of it.” She leant forward across the table almost as if she was reaching out to Casey, “I’m not saying that that is reason to not do this… whatever it might be… hell it may even be why this feels as right as it does, but I think it is just something that we need to acknowledge before we go any further…” Alex sat back in her chair, her voice becoming uncharacteristically small as she finished her thought, “Particularly as I’m only here for a limited time…”

Casey tipped her head to side slightly as she took in Alex and how open she was being. It was refreshing in a way to see the blonde allow herself to be a little vulnerable. She shifted forward till she was perched on the edge of her chair, the motion quite literally showing Alex that Casey was not pulling away,

“I think we’re at risk of overthinking this you know Al,” her grin pulled an answering smile from Alex who felt herself relax, “you said you were here for what, like 12 more weeks?” Casey spread her hands wide as Alex nodded, “I think that’s plenty time for us to explore this further…” she parroted her earlier words to prevent assigning labels or trying to prematurely define or box in whatever it was there were _exploring_ together.

“I guess you’re right,”

“Of course I am,” the cheeky confidence made Alex laugh, and even as Casey’s face took on a slightly more serious look she could still feel the corners of her mouth curling upwards as she just took in the gorgeous woman in front of her, “without wanting to scare you I will admit that 12 weeks would definitely be longer than the majority of my past relationships… Actually ignore I said that, wouldn’t want to give you the wrong impression…”

Alex couldn’t help but laugh again, the sound making Casey’s almost permanent blush deepen further although she appreciated that the levity stopped any awkwardness from settling,

“Honestly Alex, I think we would be stupid not to try and give it, give us, a shot. Even if it turns out to only be a thing whilst you are in town I think we owe it to ourselves to not put any pressure on something that feels this good already. And if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. We’re both adults,” her shrug had Alex grinning softly again, it was a sight that warmed Casey on the inside, “I just think after all we’ve already gone through to not try would be a regret,”

Casey reached forward and softly took Alex’s hand in her own, her thumb swiping across her knuckles,

“I don’t like regretting things you know Alex, particularly when I’m presented with such an obvious second chance.”

The softness in the redhead’s voice was clear but the sparkle in her eye was what really drew Alex in. If someone had told her when they’d first met that she would one day find Casey Novak amongst the most sweetest and charming of people in the world, Alex would have asked Huang to take a look at them, but now? Now she felt those butterflies that had been fluttering for what felt like days somehow increase yet again. She turned the hand that Casey was holding so that the redhead’s palm rested in hers and she was able to run her thumb over the top of Casey wrist, her focus entirely consumed on how the motion made Casey’s fingers twitch and the redhead gulp lightly as Alex met her gaze once more.

“What else could you possibly regret?”

“Not following you up last night for one.” The immediateness of the response made Alex still the sweep of her thumb. She grinned slyly as she sat back in her seat, knees and arms crossing as she looked Casey up and down with a purposeful gaze,

“So change that.”

For a beat neither of them moved, a tangible heat that had been present and growing since they’d started arguing on the convention stage crystallising into a sense of want and need that was palpable. Finally, Alex broke the stillness between with an ever so slight tilt to her chin and raising of her eyebrow in challenge. It sparked Casey into motion,

“If we catch a cab we can be at mine in 10 minutes.” Alex couldn't suppress a smug grin as Casey was already standing up, grabbing her jacket and offering Alex her hand to help her from her chair. The blonde was all too keen to accept and keep hold of it,

“Lead the way then.”

***

They were kissing passionately as they finally stumbled through Casey’s front door. The short cab ride had been pleasantly agonising, especially - when to still Casey’s nervously jumping leg - Alex had reached over and simply placed her hand on the redhead’s thigh, the weight and heat of it nearly causing Casey to choke on air. She had no idea if she paid the driver properly, but considering he hadn’t chased after them she suspected she’d accidentally tipped him more than generously.

As soon as she could Casey pinned Alex to the wall, mirroring the position that they had been in the night before as she stepped in between Alex’s legs and pressed into her as both of them frantically ran their hands over the other. After Casey had skated across the side of her chest - purposefully, or teasingly, avoiding her sensitive nipples - Alex decided to take charge a bit more. She caught Casey by surprise when she spun them and started place open mouthed kisses down Casey’s neck,

“Fuck, yes, fuck,”

Alex pulled back to smirk at Casey,

“Well, if that’s what you want?”

After a moment of just looking at Alex Casey answered by pushing off the wall with a grin before she was kissing her again. Casey’s hands tangled into Alex’s hair, the blonde in turn gripped tightly at Casey’s hips to steady herself as she got lost in the feel of Casey’s lips as they claimed her own, her tongue rolling against Alex’s, teeth nipping at her bottom lip whenever they parted just enough to gasp for breath. Having not had a destination in mind and simply wanting - _needing –_ to feel Alex’s body pressed against her as she finally got to caress her fingers through the temptingly soft (even if she was complaining it was frizzy earlier) blonde hair, Casey was quite pleased to spot that she had managed to blindly direct them towards her living room. Just as Alex finally managed to get her hands under Casey’s shirt, causing the redhead to inhale sharply as Alex ran her blunt fingernails up her stomach, they reached the back of the couch and Casey gently nudged Alex to sit on the edge of it so she could kiss her more deeply.

They got lost in the give and take. Each time their lips parted so they could breathe or change angle amped up the heat and passion between them until finally Alex pulled back and rested her forehead against Casey’s to catch her breath enough to speak,

“Are you ready to take me to bed yet Case?”

Sudden mortification engulfed Casey, freezing her to the spot.

Her room.

She pulled back further, arching her back as Alex looked up at her confused at the change in Casey’s demeanour,

"Casey?” Alex was breathless and more than a little bit thrown, and the way she said Casey’s name made the redhead want to instinctively fall back into her arms,

“Can you give me like 10 minutes?” she took a step backwards as Alex’s confusion only grows, her brow furrowing as she ran a hand through her tousled hair,

“What?”

“Without wanting to sound like an absolute teenage boy, my room is a mess from last night and I didn’t tidy it because I didn’t want to assume…”

Alex’s chest warmed at Casey’s admission that even after all that had transpired between them the night before she hadn’t just assumed Alex would just fall into bed with her immediately,

“It can’t be that bad, I don’t mind.” Alex tugged Casey back towards her by her belt loops as she grinned teasingly up at her, speaking in a low tone that was _doing things_ to Casey, “so long as there is room on the bed for a dance that is a little bit more horizontal than last night?” She went to cup Casey’s chin and kiss her again, the redhead dazedly allowed herself to be drawn in closer, her eyes fluttering closed as her mind jumped ahead to her and Alex in her bed…

Oh shit, her bed. If it was possible to mentally slap yourself on the forehead Casey did so just then.

With a sharp breath she pulled away leaving Alex still searching for her lips with her own. Perplexed at simply meeting air the blonde looked up at her as Casey backs away, her hands spread out in pacification in front of her,

“Just, just give me a few minutes, please?” she could feel herself cringing badly as she motioned for Alex to stay as if she were a puppy, and to be honest the blonde was doing a very passable impression of a kicked golden retriever at the moment, “uh, just please? There’s a bathroom down there,” Casey waved behind Alex as she continued to back away towards her bedroom, “or help yourself to a drink, or, well, anything, just five minutes? Please?”

As soon as she’d backed down the hall far enough to be out of Alex’s sight Casey ran to her room, quietly swearing to herself as she took in the mess in front of her. Her pulse was still racing from Alex’s kisses, not to mention how she’d _felt_ when their bodies had touched. She used that for motivation as she scooped up piles of clothes and hurled them onto the bottom of her wardrobe, only giving a passing thought to how much of a pain it was going to be to sort out later. A future problem for future Casey she decided.

Still perched on the back of Casey’s couch Alex felt flummoxed at the sudden turn of events yet also bemused at how from even down the hall she could hear Casey quietly chanting ‘fuck fuck fuck’ to herself as doors seemed to clatter open and shut.

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling she finally allowed herself to look around the room, taking in the calming soft tones of the walls and furnishings and grinning to herself to see that the majority of at least two walls of the living room were taken up with floor to ceiling bookcases, various baseball and soft ball knick-knacks and photos of friends and family also littering the shelves. She took a few steps to come to the front of the couch, smirking at the oh so familiar sight of a coffee table spread with various casefiles and an obviously well-loved coffee mug sat nearby on a coaster. It was just so _Casey,_ and Alex found herself feeling entirely comfortable even given how abruptly she’d found herself abandoned in the otherwise unfamiliar space.

The sound of heavy footsteps thumping rapidly towards her made Alex turn her head and see Casey come to a grinding halt when she finally spotted Alex sat on the edge of her arm chair, hands clasped between her knees looking up at her expectantly. Alex could see how she physically gulped; unable to take her eyes from where the blonde was looking at her. Standing slowly Alex tried to smile reassuringly but Casey seemed to retreat into herself further, she lifted one of her hands as if to gesture back down the hall she’d just run down but upon glancing back to Alex she lost whatever it was she was going to say and ended up nervously clutching at her own fingers even as she still tried to catch her breath.

An awkward silence grew between them and Alex was completely perplexed as to what could’ve happened in the space of time it took for Casey to apparently enthusiastically run down the corridor back to seeing her again, and freezing. Holding Casey’s gaze Alex took a small step towards her and the movement seemed to snap Casey out of whatever it was that had had her frozen before and she suddenly was a flurry of frantic movement, all whilst avoiding looking at Alex for any length of time. The redhead span on the spot and purposefully strode into her kitchen,

“Can I get you a drink? I think I want a drink.” Casey winced at the squeak in her voice as she opened and closed several cupboards, pulling down two tall glasses and bottle of scotch. She was already cracking several ice cubes into the glasses when Alex finally made it into the kitchen too,

“Casey it isn’t even 12 yet…” the concern in Alex’s voice was clear and Casey quickly looked at her before glancing back down at the glasses in front of her. Sighing she pushed the bottle to the back of the counter and deposited the glasses in the sink, her movements flustered as she continued to avoid looking at Alex,

“No, you’re right,” she stilled for a moment, her forehead resting against a cupboard door. Taking the chance to step closer Alex almost reached her when the redhead seemed to sense her presence and instantly jumped into motion again, nearly braining Alex with how quickly she opened a cupboard door to lift out some mugs instead, “Tea? Uh or coffee? No wait, you like tea - I can make us some, what sort would you like?”

The speed with which Casey was now filling a kettle and fumbling with the mugs on the countertop would honestly have impressed Alex where she not so _concerned_ about the change in Casey’s entire demeanour from when they’d first arrived at her house. With the way that Casey was studiously avoiding looking at her Alex didn’t know how else to get her attention. Determined, she stepped up and gently touched Casey on the elbow,

“Casey?” Whether it was her touch or her voice that startled the redhead Alex jumped back as if burned when Casey jolted in surprise. Alex’s concern grew further when Casey wordlessly turned away from her to brace herself against the sink.

“Are you okay? I can – I can go if that’s what you want?”

“No!” Casey’s abrupt declaration comes as she turned back to Alex, although she kept her head ducked down, “God no,” she uttered again more quietly. Briefly she caught Alex’s hand to try reassure her, meeting her confused look for just a moment before turning away again,

“Then what is it? Did I do something wrong?” Alex kept her tone soft, reassured at least a little that the other woman had initiated some contact between them. The soft sincerity in her voice made Casey turn away to lean against the sink once more, Alex could see the tension she was holding in her shoulders and in how her head dropped lower, some of her hair falling loose from behind her ears shielding her face as she released a shaky breath,

“I’m just, god,” Casey finally raised her head, though kept her eyes closed as her head tipped back as her voice cracked, “I’m just all in my head now and embarrassed but you’re like, _right here_ , and I can’t calm down.”

Alex suddenly realised what Casey was trying to mean. They’d been acting on instinct – admittedly their baser instincts – and getting pulled out of that mood so suddenly had thrown her for a loop, this whatever it was between them too new for her to know how to… get back up to speed.

Reassured that her presence was still welcomed Alex stepped up behind Casey, reaching out to run her hand on her waist so the redhead could know where she was. At earning a breathy exhale Alex continued forward, pressing her body along the contours of Casey’s back, having to stifle a groan at how her ass perfectly aligned with her hips.

Nudging the loose strands of red hair out the way Alex pressed a gentle kiss where Casey’s neck met her shoulder and she trailed her right hand across the base of Casey’s hip as her left hand stroked down the redhead’s arm. Casey felt herself just _melt_ against Alex, suddenly relieved to have the edge of the sink to grip onto to stop her knees from buckling.

It just felt so good, so right.

Instinctively she rolled her head to the side giving Alex more access to kiss up her neck,

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” the feeling of Alex’s breath ghosting across her skin made Casey shiver, her earlier awkwardness and unexpected wave of insecurity receding at the low intense pull that Alex’s light touches had re-ignited in her. Alex slowly slipped her hand under Casey shirt, closing her eyes at the feel of the soft skin of her stomach, the quiet gasp from Casey sending an unmasked thrill surging through her.

“Is this okay?” the moment was so finely poised, so heavy with possibility and untapped potential that Alex’s voice was scarcely a whisper, but to Casey’s buzzing mind it was as clear as a siren’s song. 

“Yes.”

If Alex was surprised at how Casey’s voice could break and crack so much over one word then she hid her reaction well. Casey breathing rapidly accelerated as Alex’s hand trailed higher, the exquisite torture heightened as the blonde slowly kissed down her neck and along the top of her shoulder. With her free hand Alex ran her thumb over Casey’s knuckles that had been turning white with how tightly she was holding onto the edge of the sink. Casey’s breath hitched even higher, almost verging into a stifled whimper as Alex fingertips under her shirt came dangerously close to brushing along her bra.

“Do you even know what you do to me?”

All Casey could manage was to shake her head gently, Alex was able to feel the movement of Casey’s neck muscles under her lips. Feeling the heat and tension build further inside of her Alex skated her hand back down across Casey’s midriff whilst she tangled Casey’s fingers in her own against the countertop.

“Do you want me to tell you?”

Alex slowly turned the direction of her hand, her fingertips skipping over the dip of Casey’s bellybutton and stilling on the small swell of her stomach just above her belt buckle. Nosing behind Casey’s ear Alex’s breath just brushed against the shell of it,

“Or do you want me to show you?”

It was a small shift, barely even a fractional increase in pressure of the ends of her fingers to dip below the top the waistband of Casey’s jeans but it was the breaking point for the redhead.

Like an elastic band that had been pulled tight for too long the kinetic release was instant and explosive. Twisting in Alex’s arms Casey kissed her with a scalding intensity, she tangled her hands in the blonde’s hair as the sudden movement caused Alex to pin her back over the sink and Casey instinctively arched up against her to steady them. The heat between them, burning through her, made Alex gasp and Casey immediately ran her tongue against the blonde’s, neither one sure who it was that whimpered and who it was that moaned.

Casey backed Alex across the kitchen, their kiss messy and breathless as they tangled in each other. In a moment of clarity Alex suddenly found herself caging Casey in against the doorway of her kitchen as the other woman slipped her hand around Alex’s ass, squeezing just enough to make the tall blonde groan with pleasure as Casey spoke breathily but confidently against her lips,

“I want you so bad.”

Her admission earned her another passionate kiss from Alex who couldn’t get enough of the feeling of Casey’s soft lips pillowed against her own,

“Bedroom, now.” Her voice was so low it was practically a growl but the command seemed to really work for Casey – and Alex tried to keep a mental note of how… eager… the redhead was to do as she was told, but found much of her focus and concentration were currently taken up with Casey’s attempts to undress the both of them as she led them through to her hastily tidied bedroom.

Finally being able to push a shirtless Casey Novak down onto a comfortable flat surface filled Alex with a certain satisfaction that she hadn’t realised she’d craved quite so badly. The answering bright eyed grin she received from Casey as she reached up and pulled Alex down onto the bed with her was something the blonde found herself wanting to see again and again. She paused their kissing long enough to let Casey help pull her own top off over her head and felt herself get caught up with the sheer adoration with which Casey looked over her newly exposed skin, running her hands up Alex’s sides almost reverentially.

Taking advantage of Casey’s distraction with her body Alex returned the favour, slowing her racing pulse and urge to just _take_ and feel and push and pull against Casey’s body that was completely overriding her other senses. She tried to take a breath and just be in the moment; to enjoy the fact she was straddling the lap of this gorgeous and captivating woman, who was making her feel things she hadn’t felt in such a long time.

She raked her eyes and fingertips over Casey’s exposed skin – lightly skimming down the valley between her breasts that teased at so much more for her to enjoy, tracing the path she’d taken earlier when she’d had Casey up against the sink. Her gaze moved ahead of where her fingers were heading, and immediately zero-ed in on how Casey’s jeans and belt were already undone, falling open just enough to reveal a hint of navy lace underneath. The teasing glimpse of the fabric pulled a guttural noise from the back of Alex’s throat that had Casey laughing and reaching up to pull the other woman further on top of her. She burrowed her head into the crook of Alex’s neck, mouthing over her prominent collar bone before leaning back and smiling up a little smugly, using one hand to push Alex’s loose hair away from her face,

“Find something you like?”

“Found a lot I like actually,” Alex shifted up onto her knees and then to the side so she could trail her fingers across the open zipper and ever so lightly brush the triangle of exposed lace whilst grinning at Casey and arching her eyebrow. The sensation and visual caused the redhead to inhale sharply through her nose, her fingers flexing firmly where they rested on Alex’s shoulder, “These though, were a particularly nice surprise,” Alex continued, her voice low and rumbling.

She surged forward to claim Casey’s mouth in another deep kiss as she angled her hand further into Casey’s jeans, both of them gasping at the wetness and heat she found there. Casey couldn’t control the way her hips jumped off the mattress at Alex’s touch, instinctively seeking more contact or movement from the woman who currently seemed entirely too content to just cup her over her underwear and torment her. Alex used the heel of her palm to press Casey’s hips back into the mattress, letting her raise above Casey again. The blonde then used her position to rest her forehead against Casey’s as they both panted,

“So you didn’t tidy your room but you did -,” her breath hitched momentarily as Casey dropped her hands down Alex’s back, her right then coming round to palm at Alex’s breast over her bra, “-wear lace panties? Oh, fuck.” Casey grinned as she felt Alex arch her chest further into her hand and so rewarded her by increasing the pressure with which she caressed her, finishing by flicking the side of her thumb over the ever-hardening nipple that she could feel under the fabric. She could feel the shiver that raced down Alex’s spine as the blonde’s eyes rolled closed under the stimulation. Taking advantage of her momentary blindness Casey flexed her hips and twisted, rolling herself over so that she was on top, straddled across Alex’s thigh who recovered quickly from the unexpected movement to grin at Casey asserting herself a little more. For Casey, the sight of a smiling breathless Alex laying against her bed, blonde hair splayed out around her like a halo was something to truly behold,

“Maybe I was just hedging my bets.” Her delayed comeback initially confused Alex but as Casey’s hips rolled against her thigh, grinding down on her, Alex’s eyes were drawn once more to the apex of the other woman’s legs and the lace on show,

“I’d say it paid off,” Alex was barely able to get the words out before Casey ran her hands across Alex’s stomach, just ever-so-lightly scratching down to her hips,

“I couldn’t agree more,” with an almost predatory glint to her eyes Casey leant over the blonde and started kissing down her chest, licking slowly over the top of her bra until Alex impatiently pushed her away long enough to divest herself of her bra as quickly as she could, falling back to the bed with a quiet thump. For a moment Casey was almost frozen once again as she took in Alex before her, but then she dropped back to Alex’s chest with a feverish intensity and unparalleled desire that had the blonde gripping tightly into Casey’s hair and releasing a litany of wordless noises that spurred Casey to kiss and lick and nip as much as she could.

Feeling like she was on the edge of burning up Alex had a sudden bolt of clarity, she wanted Casey, needed to feel more of her. With a little physical effort – and considerably more mental purposefulness considering how unsurprisingly talented Casey was with her mouth – Alex was able to wriggle her hand in between them and curl her fingers once more under Casey’s jeans and tease at the damp lace she found there. The way she traced her fingers over the fabric’s pattern had Casey’s hips stuttering in the steady grinding roll she’d built up and the redhead gasped, her head falling heavily against Alex’s rapidly rising chest as they both groaned at how good it felt. With her free hand Alex reached around to cup Casey’s ass, sliding into her jeans’ back pocket to squeeze it possessively,

“I think, I think it may be time to take these off…”

With a dry chuckle Casey looked up and kissed Alex, pressing their lips together firmly,

“I always did like the way you think Cabot.”

***

The soft sheets Alex found herself tangled up in left her confused for several moments, until the memories of the past several hours caught up with her and she felt the deep satisfying ache of tired contentedness that only seemed to ever occur after very thorough, very _satisfying_ , sex settle across her body. With a quiet yawn she couldn’t suppress the involuntary stretch of her shoulders and arms as she rolled to her back and took in as much of the room as she could see without her glasses on – making a mental note that she needed to find wherever it was that she had thrown the frames sooner rather than later. Pulling the top sheet around her as she sat up, she was a little surprised at the lack of a bed-mate next to her. Just as she resolved herself to try find the elusive redhead, or her glasses- ideally both, - some motion at the door drew her attention. The blonde found herself entirely unable to suppress the slightly shy grin that broke across her face as Casey backed into the room to reveal she was carefully carrying two steaming mugs. Alex didn’t even try to filter the first thought to cross her mind,

“What the hell are you wearing?”

Casey pulled up short at not only finding Alex awake – she’d been sleeping pretty hard when Casey had woken and puttered about trying to find something to quickly chuck on – but also the sight of her – mussed bedhead, sly but gentle smile as her eyes twinkled, naked back exposed as she leaned over her drawn up knees in what must be an attempt to stretch out her back. Jesus Christ the woman was gorgeous. Casey quickly glanced down at her chosen attire, knowing that if Penelope could see the lime green running shorts paired with the soft purple cashmere jumper that she’d definitely accidently shrunk a bit in the wash that one time, her best friend would use it as a prime example of one of Casey’s ‘aesthetically challenged’ looks. Quietly huffing Casey sent Alex a slightly sheepish grin,

“Honestly I don’t even know, I meant it earlier when I said my entire wardrobe was all over the place, these were simply near the top of the pile.”

Chuckling Alex sat back against the headboard, bringing the bedsheet with her but not entirely minding at how low it sat across her chest. There was little sense in modesty now considering just how meticulous Casey had been in paying attention to her body earlier. Seeing how the redhead’s gaze had dropped to her chest with a light blush Alex knew she was being appreciated once again,

“Personally, I think it’s very brave of someone with your complexion to have something so… violently green to be honest.”

“Okay, now that’s just rude,” Casey laughed as she carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, gradually swinging her legs up too once she knew she had the mugs stable, “maybe I’ll just keep this tea all to myself then.”

“Don’t you dare,” Casey was barely able to tamp down her grin as Alex made a desperate grabbing motion with her hand for the hot drink, leaning forward meaning the bedsheet dropped even lower. She turned her hold on the mug so the blonde could take it by the handle.

“Here you go then, oh and here you might need these too,” Casey reached behind her and produced Alex’s glasses with a small flourish, “I almost stepped on them before so moved them, sorry.”

Receiving them gratefully Alex slipped the frames on and settled back against the pillows once more, blowing gently across the top of the tea to cool it as she held Casey’s gaze,

“Hi there,”

Giggling lightly Casey shuffled further onto the bed and carefully cupped her own cup of coffee, gently nudging Alex’s feet with her own still on top of the bedsheet,

“Hey,”

A silence fell between them as they sipped at their drinks but it wasn’t at all awkward, rather Alex quite enjoyed just getting to look over at Casey, taking in how she’d tied up her hair in a loose pony-tail and how it showed off how defined her jaw and neckline were, to how her lips were slightly redder than normal and maybe a little swollen from how much they’d been pressed against her, or nipped on by Alex’s own teeth – she’d been particularly thrilled with how _responsive_ Casey had been when she had bitten down on her bottom lip as Alex’s fingers had been working inside of her. The blonde’s gaze then dropped slightly to the ridiculously tight jumper Casey had on, and it was painfully obvious the redhead wasn’t wearing a bra as Alex could clearly see her nipples standing proud against the fabric.

After a quick glance behind her she placed her now only half-filled mug on the bedside table, before reaching out and taking Casey’s coffee from her too. The redhead didn’t even question Alex’s actions or try to stop her, instead taking the chance to adore running her eyes over the long elegant lines of Alex’s bare back up closer than before. Satisfied that the drinks were safe Alex turned back to Casey and beckoned her closer,

“Come here Case,” not needing to be asked twice Casey was already in motion, coming quickly to lay along Alex’s side, a wide if not slightly bashful smile across her face. Shuffling down slightly Alex settled on her side too, her head resting on the pillow, hand tucked up under her chin as the other reached out and lightly caressed Casey’s cheek. Smiling against Alex’s hand Casey pressed a quick kiss to the blonde’s palm,

“You okay?”

“I was a little confused when I woke up and you weren’t here but otherwise totally great,” Alex pressed her body closer and dropped her hand from the redhead’s cheek and instead traced down – the admittedly very soft – sweater, grinning a little mischievously as the tip of her finger traced circles over Casey’s nipple. The wave of arousal that hit the redhead from such a small innocuous motion caused her whole body to jump and she fixed Alex with a mock glare as she captured her wandering hand with her own, linking the fingers together instead,

“I thought you might be a bit thirsty,” Alex stomach chose that precise moment to rumble much to her embarrassment which made Casey laugh and pull the blonde into a loose hold, “or hungry for that matter. We never did have brunch, or lunch, in the end…”

The feel of Casey’s hand trailing gently down her back caused a gentle shiver to run down Alex’s spine. With an impulsive smile she hooked one of her long legs around Casey’s waist and used the momentum to roll them so the redhead was beneath her, the bedsheet that she’d had wrapped around her falling away to leave her completely bare, dressed only in a seductive confidence that immediately had Casey’s hands running up her thighs and the redhead’s mouth going dry as she looked up at Alex a little dumbstruck,

“Food can wait, I want you again, now.”

With a gulp Casey could only nod, far too happy to do quite whatever it was Alex had in mind for however long she liked.


End file.
